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The Sigularity, 2005-06
Fabric, wood, acrylic, canvas, motor, gears, cassett, VHS, typewriter, and DV tape. Plastic bananas, apples, olives, pineapples, water purification system
ca 2,7 x 2,4 x 1,5m
Installation view Robert Mann Gallery 2006
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This sculpture is of a hybrid tree on an island. The tree itself grows four different fruits: the apple, olive, pineapple and banana. The island is hollow with two openings, one on each side. Inside, the viewer watches a machine of rotating wheels and cogs that slowly turn a water purification system made from pebbles, sand, and carbonized charcoal, also underneath the island. When the machine is on, the water is pumped into encasements that mingle with the fruit, suggesting a completely sustainable future-system. The fruits and the leaves are all plastic, and from many different sources. The leaves range from Maple to Oak to Pine, some are fall colors, suggesting a constant regeneration. On a closer look, a person might notice that this “tree of life” is designed by some of the top companies in their respective fields, in a sense collaborating on the “perfect place” or the “perfect sustainable environment”. The fruits “develop” on the tree already stickered with the different brands. On the ground are illustrative water-patterns, demonstrating a changing tide and reinforcing the idea that this is a solitary piece of land, a personal island. The surrounding area also holds tree trunks that reminds us that this land once could have been filled with trees from a previous time, made of wood, and perhaps cut down to make paper.
The sculpture is made from recycled elements including plastics, an old tree (the surrounding tree trunks), canvas, foam, fabric, water, wire, twine, paint, and glue. Inside the island, the machine that rotates to purify water is surrounded by heaps of old media, from cassette to VHS and beyond, as if a constant record is being made of itself. To me, the island/hybrid tree is an example of a perfect living space, completely sustainable for one person (the fantasy people have to move to a deserted island), but also for groups of people.
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