Tessalation 3D, Falmouth Public School

This sculpture is an exploration of positive and negative space and an exploration of constructing and of subtractive carving.  The central  tower is created by making geometric building blocks from the columns that were extracted from the boulder to form sculptural windows.  The title Tessellation 3d references the geometric concept of tiling.  The hexagon and the equilateral triangle are two of the three shapes that can be tessellated without gaps.  This concept occurs in nature in the shape of honeycomb and basaltic columns and has been used in art and architecture for thousands of years.  I take the concept in a 3 dimensional direction by creating thick tiles of varying dimensions and by assembling them in a vertical plane as well as horizontally on the ground plane. 

For Falmouth I wanted a project that would have an educational component as well as creating an inviting and engaging space that encourages students, staff, and visitors to interact with the various shapes.  I wanted to show nature untouched by using a glacial erratic boulder.  The boulder is an egg shape.  By splitting the egg boulder in two and building refined forms from the internal material I see a parallel with education and the development of our youth into young adults and refined thinkers.  Most of all I wanted to create an ambitious project that would draw people in on many levels and contribute to an exciting, diverse, and holistic learning environment in Falmouth.