The Mbole, a small group of about 150,000 people in the Southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) made ankle currency bracelets of copper which were used for major transactions. A fine example of African metal work, produced primarily for use as currency, though so little is actually known about them that it is possible that they could have been worn for special occasions, like weddings. These are very large and heavy pieces sometimes up to 12 inches in diameter - see posted link.

 

In the Soundproof Journey series the Mbole currency anklet is transformed into a larger than life sculpture - inviting the viewer into its history. As with all my sculptures, the relationship between positive and negative space is explored with shadow and is vital to the un-telling of the sculptures story, the shadow becoming part of the sculpture itself.

 

An example of this will be seen in the negative and positive in any one of the 'Soundproof Journeys' series shadow and light. When the sun faces the back of the sculpture a path of light invites the viewer down the path and inside the sculpture. As the sun makes its way across the landscape the path of light is closed by the shadow and its journey transferred to the inside of the sculpture - a keyhole of light moving along the surface of the interior walls. By inviting the viewer into the sculpture, the viewer becomes witness to a keyhole of light moving across the interior walls of the sculpture and the possibility of understanding the Mbole story / history seems within reach.

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What Silence Knows - a stand alone sculpture.

 

We Two Are One - a perfect pairing, in balance and scale.

 

The State of Being Alone - a stand alone sculpture, its (opening wider than most.

 

Solitude - perfectly balanced in form, with a sliver of an opening. The viewer must struggle to enter and exit.

 

Epithelium - Three sculptures. Two in close proximity. One a healthy walk down the way. They are clearly all connected and part of a greater story.

 

Now We May Begin - a flat bed of steel, waiting for its story to be told.