"Portal #1" Page Two
Height-9' Length-19' Width-3'
The cord drops straight down and suspends the weight of a cast, conical piece of ice above the inner bowl. The other end of the cord is connected to the outermost part of a long, steel extension that pivots on upper pair of bronze elements and terminates with a ring. In it are forged bronze tongs which, in a rather ceremonial fashion, hold a lit candle above the outer bowl of water. The upper balance system is far less predictable than its more direct counterpart below and might suggest the partition between science and chance or, perhaps, their merger. As the ice melts, drops of water fall into the larger bowl and gradually make it heavier. This shifts the balance more in its favor and causes the outer bowl to extend upward toward the candle. Meanwhile, as the ice becomes lighter, it dislodges the balance of the upper system. It is then unpredictably and suddenly unleashed as the end with the candle drops to engage the bowl of water below it. Thus, water destroys fire. Referring back to the ice and the inner bowl, as drops of water fall randomly onto the pieces of sodium another system of balance is achieved in that water creates fire. Additionally, as the steel arc flattens and cantilevers out into open space it establishes a physical balance between the other elements and itself. Suspended from the end is a glass funnel which empties fine sand as the life process of the piece proceeds.
Post Office Box 184
Telephone (859) 635-1996
Alexandria, KY 41001 USA
Fax (859) 635-6562
