A woman asked her husband for divorce. His answer: to cut all her limbs with a machete leaving her unable to walk to her village or do her work; how could she survive these injuries? This story inspired me to base my carving on a statue who lost her arms to a different kind of violence; appropriately that statue is named for the goddess of love. In reference to the story above, my carving has lost its legs. Typical of a domestic violence victim she has a broken nose and black eye. The face especially is misshapen; not symmetrical. Timber cracks and holes were placed at the back to give reference to thoughts such as: came from behind, shot in the back; representing that this violence most often comes from those masquerading as lovers, those the victim trusted; to refer to violence and injuries that are hidden by clothing or seclusion and those that do not heal. Violence is commonly aimed at the face; the wild colouring of the camphor laurel tends to hide represented injuries just as actual injuries are disguised by makeup; this also references things that blind others to this violence.
Here I aimed to elongate the timber beyond itself and make it reach upwards. The resistance of the material is suggested by the twisting, deformation and stretching of the form, in the spaces and in the precariousness of the balance of the tall, narrow, twisting form.
A single piece of silky oak was cut into pieces and the pieces rejoined in a different order and orientation with separating slices of redgum. This composite piece was then cut into pieces, reorientated and rejoined to form two pieces. One piece was turned and the other carved, the two pieces then being reunited and carved giving the final sculpture.
How does a sculptural piece begin? How much material is taken away and how much is left? How long does it take in terms of designing, making, execution and decisions? When is it finished? This piece is about these considerations.
Turned then carved. Title comes from the title of a Fleetwood Mac song which persistently came to mind during the carving of the piece. Each outgrowth moves inwards or outwards from the base like people growing from their base – moving in harmony or opposition to their beginnings, constrained by their beginnings, life conditions, others around them; also enriched by these same things that constrain them. Thinking they make themselves and yet limited by factors internal and external to themselves. The piece poses the question: Do they go their own way?