Decoys for the Spirit | A Collection of Opinions

These sculptures are based on imagery evoked in a passage from Exodus I found moving and visually descriptive. It delineated the implements that were found in the first Tabernacle. “Decoys for the Spirit”, a group of winged poles symbolically intended to bring the spirits to Earth, were the first works in the series. Intrigued by the idea of poles (pole beans, flag poles, polar opposites, etc.), I also created Bean Poles and Non-Functional Instruments during this same time frame. These were followed with sculptures called “A Collection of Opinions”, representations of the rituals and implements the Jews used in the first temple as they traveled through the desert to the promised land. Based on biblical description and images from illuminated manuscripts, I created bronze and steel platforms in the form of ziggurats, sacrificial altars, and tables that offered stylized breads cast in plaster and hydrastone.