Description
An unusual art work valued at $400.00. This massive and very heavy slab of true cedar measures approximately 29“ across by 2 ¾“ wide and 19” high. It is supported on three pointed wooden stakes. The tree, a Cedrus atlantica, Atlantic Cedar, this piece was made from was planted in Bed 17 by Francisca Darts in 1969. She paid $1.00 for it.
Four slabs of true cedar, harvested from the Atlantic cedar tree that fell during a powerful wind storm in Darts Hill Garden Park, were installed as part of the Understory Temporary Art Installation. Francisca Darts bequeathed the garden to the city with a 999 year lease. This lease was the point of departure for the conception of Circle within a Circle. This amazing timespan inspires us to project out into time with our minds. Four hemispherical bowls were rough-cut into the centres of the true cedar slabs, producing an asterix, invoking expansion even as it draws us into its heart. This is a contemplative timepiece. In the middle, we begin with the smallest of points, a grain of time; next, we expand out to the moments, or the human ‘now’ (about 2 seconds), represented within the bowl by the cuts (moments = efforts), which can also be read as the seconds of a clock. This awareness forms the body of our experience (adding them together to build memory): this is the bowl, which constitutes the ‘chapters’ of our personal narrative. As we expand further, we count the years passing via the tree rings, until we arrive to an entire lifespan (the full slab). This trajectory, once initiated, can continue to grow beyond ourselves, to the planet, to the solar system, to the galaxy and to the universe. For more examples of Marcus Macdonald’s work please visit https://triangleinstitute.wixsite.com/marcus. Marcus is also a member of the Z.inc Art Collective. www.facebook.com/ZincCollective.