Ruth Abernethy, Sculptor - "One Basket"
I met Ruth Abernethy through the exhibition Franklin the Turtle and the Illustrations of Brenda Clark at the Durham West Arts Centre when I was Executive Director. At that time Ruth was best known for her sculpture of Glenn Gould which sits outside CBC in Toronto. She was about to become known as the sculptor who produced the bronze Franklin characters for the children’s garden on Toronto Island.
Ruth and her eldest son will install "One Basket" at the National Botanic Garden in Glasnevin, Dublin on the Labour Day weekend. Her work was selected from among 275 submissions for the exhibition, Sculpture in Context, which runs from Sept 6 to Oct 18, 2007. See more of Ruth’s work at www.ruthabernethy.com
The eggs are each 24" long. I first carved a 12" egg in styrene, covered it with clear tape, drew on the pattern, then lifted it, while working out the reassembly and structure—truly a mind-bending exercise and one that makes cleaning toilets a welcome distraction! The pattern was laser cut in stainless steel and I did most of the reassembly. Doing this I hit the limits of my metal working ability and did use up most of my best cuss words.
The Muslim egg is comprised of a calligraphic panel and the silhouette of minarets separated by a space shaped like a mosque dome. The Christian egg shows a simple fish contour, a cross and chalice. The Judaic egg has the Menorah, Torah, a Testament Tablet outline and the Star of David at the base.
The barbed wire nest raises the discourse about containment/contentment within the threatening nest which is both dangerous and protective. With the nest the whole piece is 48" in diameter. |
