Julie Speidel. CONTINUITIES

About

These modernist works function as benches, stools, and chairs, and explore the connectedness between the object, its surroundings, and the viewer.

These sculptures are solidly constructed of wood, metal, and stone. Speidel is inspired by the enigmatic art and architecture of prehistoric societies, such as the standing stones at Stonehenge as well as sacred, carved talismans. Speidel explores the deep and powerful relationships between people and objects, which seem to exist at the very core of humanity.

Despite their roots in antiquity, these works are unmistakably modern. Speidel considers the energy within each material in order to create a form that is true, expressing the essence of the material itself. Two small stools that make the piece titled Naeba and Nantai, are Asian inspired designs, and incorporate various woods that captivate the viewer. Others, such as Amukta and Pods, use different earthly elements such as stone and bronze.

Previous work has ranged from monumental to intimate in scale. The sculptures presented here are human scale, and functional. The relationship between the viewer and the object is one that connects them to the history of the earth and to geologic time. “Sitting on one of the benches made from the elements of the earth,” Speidel hopes, “is to be awakened by the experience in nature,” inspiring conversation with oneself or others, and an awareness of the continuities that connect everything in the world.