Hand-sculpted topographic maps, naturally brought to life with rust and patinas
I create my pieces using entirely metallurgical processes, and paint never touches the artwork. Instead, I've developed a proprietary oxidation process to add color to my topographic maps through rust and copper patinas, using the same natural methods that the earth used to color itself.
Likewise, my art is shaped not by a computerized process, but rather through hammering, grinding and bending as I forge the actual curves of the land into flat metal sheets.
Lastly, each sculpture is welded to float above a bespoke Baltic Birch frame, custom built for each sculpture's dimensions. Available is the option to construct into that frame, museum-quality overhead lighting with a recessed dimming dial.
My inspiration for this project goes back to the launch of Google Maps' satellite overlays. I followed the path of the Passaic River along its route through the colonial industrial towns of Newark and Paterson, noticing that even around New York City, human development was isolated largely along the banks of rivers and bays. It changed my notion as to whether we were actually engineering civilization, rather than predictably following a template already baked into the land.
In my work just as in the natural world, acids and bases follow along contours to create a rich, unrepeatable fingerprint, reacting to their environment's own unique topography. By understanding these basic chemical reactions we can imagine how the world came to have its colors and textures, and we can better visualize the earth as a dynamic responsive organism.
