Open Spirals – Variations on a Theme
Medium 10 – 17 : 17

Photo Credit: Fred Aron Photography
Ceiling-suspended Sculpture
Phosphor Bronze – Bobbin Lace
Individual Open Spiral: 20” H x 13” W x 12”D
Seven Open Spirals: 78” H x 44” W x 25” D
2023
I used 16 strands of 80” long twisted phosphor bronze wire with Dieppe Ground stitch to make each of 8 ribbons of bobbin lace, 4.5” wide x 23.25” long. I shaped each flat ribbon into an open spiral, drew the bottom edge up and stabilized the 3-dimensional form by stitching the long wire ends to the lace with wire, creating sprays of wires centered by rosettes.
Initially created for a public art project, 16 Open Spirals have been reconfigured into a variety of possible hanging arrangements: seven Mediums (above), a pair of Smalls, and trio of Smalls. Different combinations of the 8 Smalls and the 8 Mediums can be designed, or all 16 elements can be assembled into one sculpture. Suspend each Open Spiral from 1.7mm bronze double rope chain (as pictured), or from monofilament.
Exhibition: A Question of Balance: Selected Works from Pacific Rim Sculptors, Museum of Sonoma County (2024)
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Photo Credit: Fred Aron Photography