I attended a very interesting exhibition opening and had a great chat with the artist, which inspired me to explore trees and nature more as part of my work. Agata Rucińska’s exhibition was inspired by Peter Wohlleben’s book “Secret life of trees” and it is focused on the idea of trees as Superconstrucions, which in order to survive, do not function in solitude. They exhist as a forest, as an organism, which self-regulates, with the roots functioning as a net of the exchange of life-giving liquids or a system for exchange of information. What can seem like a single tree trunk to an outside viewer, is in fact just a fregment of a large organism, which will not survive without the rest. Rucinska’s main forcus is the Pine Tree, which according to the artist functions as tree-institution. It grows very quickly, it is easy to acquire and process. The artist is interested in the moment, when the material ceases to remind us what it was made of, while simultaneously remaining in close relation to its origin. In this context the superconstruction becomes the tree itself, which is able to survive cutting it down to the very stub.
Pieces presented by the artist combine biomaterial, which the artist has developed prompted by trying to get away from using synthetic materials such as resin. Using a combination of pines, chicken wire, horseradish roots and calabash shells as well as LED lights, the artist is continually seeking relationships between what is organic and synthetic, human and non-human. She is observing the growth and adaptation processes as well as infinite possibilities of the transformation of nature. I the sculptural forms presented in her exhibition Rucińska draws her own solutions, creating organic forms, attempting to give shape to something fragile and uncertain.
What I found the most inspiring was the artist’s use of chicken wire as well as using horseraddish roots to stabilise her lamps. I immediately went to sit down somewhere and create some sketches of ideas for ways that I could potentially use some of these elements in my work. Instead of roots to stabilise my willow lamps I thought of stones as a natural and sturdy element to be but at the base of my lamp.
The problem/questions:
What natural glue could I potentially use to keep the rocks together?
Could I wrap the rocks in yarn(Sheila Hicks) and then attach that yarn to the willow?
Could I drill into the rock to make a base for the lamp?
Another idea: MOTHERTREE: the one that connects all: nature/human/mother/artist/female. The core, net and system of all being represented by the Tree, combined from willow, rocks, lace, thread and hair(I would use my family’s hair collected over the years), all elements, one big family
And then, while checking out the definition of the word “abjection” and looking for an example of Abject Art I stumbled upon the work of Kiki Smith Untitled 1992 and was mesmerised by the incredibly beautiful disgustingness of the sculpture with folk ribbons pouring out of her body ribbed in half through the middle as well as the tree branches coming out of Women’s and doe’s eyes. So beautiful and sad and simultaneously revolting but also true and inspiring.
