Orb-i-cella

Orb-i -cella is the title given to the sculpture commissioned by Artinbosco and is located in a Beech Forest near Tesserete, Caprisaca, Switzerland.

The title Orb-i -Cella is taken from the name of a coral species, although this could seem to be out of context. It nevertheless appears to share many similarities, related to my sculpture. Firstly, as an organism created by nature that appear as sculptural forms, and secondly by an ever-changing external environment that effect their appearance. Such biomorphs (organic) forms that relate to their surroundings and correspond to a place, have always been a central source of inspiration and reference for my artworks.

Particularly since I define myself as an environmental artist that aims through the use of natural materials to place an emphasize on environment.

The material of the sculptural form Orb-i -Cella is wood (spruce), stacked into rings consisting of 3888 individual elements. Wood as a material has different inherent qualities; it breathes, it warms, it lives and radiates quality within itself. In the sculpture Orb-i -Cella, the given material has admittedly been industrially processed into uniform planks. Which can make the sculpture appear somewhat in contrast to the surrounding forest, with its constructive expression and man-made shape. This alienation however is precisely what this sculpture capitalizes on. Yes, it is wood, something familiar, but the representation is different. The sculpture can contribute to creating associations to something familiar, but on further inspection it quickly becomes apparent that it was not as first perceived. Nevertheless, the aim of the artwork is to enrich the surroundings by returning to the forest in another form, complimenting it through using countless numbers of circular shapes. Wood as a material is a well-known and a site-specific material, strongly associated with this natural environment. The objective behind using a countless number of rings is to place an emphasis upon time, annual rings and growth. The extensive construction involved in the creation of the artwork also express the time and energy invested in its production process.

There are a total of 3888 individual pieces of wood in the sculptural form Orb-i -cella.  Almost like a game the repeating wooden rings represent numbers. The aesthetic experience where we can use the senses e.g., when facing up to a work of art, can be compared to playing a game. It is also something that the German philosopher Gadamer promotes. (1977) It is Art as experience and as an action rather than an artifact. A game is a structured world of meaning that players must enter and be immersed in. This has in many ways been the starting point for creating the concept behind the artwork Orb-i -cella. It is precisely these repetitive rings enclosed in a sculptural organic form that give this work of art its characteristics. The countless repeated rings can also represent components or molecules that everything around us is made up of. Not least as an echo from the Orb-i -cella corals that form fused colonies with repetitive surfaces and renderings. As in these biomorphs/natural forms repetition is a hallmark in many of my sculptures. Repetition challenges and attracts perception and our senses. In such a context, the word gestalt from German can almost be translated as "a meaningful whole" or a complete pattern. Repetitive forms can therefore be described as a gestalt design or as perceptual psychological explanations of how we sense and then structure visual sensory impressions. This will often be important for understanding how the viewer experiences the connection between repetitive elements in a work of art, as a contemplative or rhythmic experience. The aim of Orb-i -cella is to invite aesthetic experiences. As in its namesake the coral is influenced by light, which is similar to this artwork. The light partly shines through openings in the structures filtering the light to create the appearance of movement. Orb-i -cella’s hollow stature can be seen as a kind of shell for a sculptural body. In a similar way in which our own body can be seen as a vessel for our spirit. In Orb-i-cella it is first and foremost the spirit of the place it tries to invoke and promote, or the place's Genius Loci ' of Artinbosco.