Artist's Statement

Martin Blank

My intent with this installation is to awaken the viewer's eye to keenly observe, interact and respond to the emotive nature of water. Water is the vehicle for capturing light, motion, time, fluidity and transparency. It can be placid, sublime, and in an instant a tremendous surge of raw power. This installation is a visual exploration capturing the chase between the macro and micro qualities of water using glass as a conduit to translate my thoughts.

Glass is the only material that can truly capture the brilliant complexities of this simple compound. I am proposing to create five to seven islands of glass sculpture that work individually as complete forms, yet when viewed as a whole, create a visual dialog that will engage the viewers eye. This installation invited the viewer to explore the dynamic facets and planes created by my artistic interpretation of water.

As the viewer enters the plaza from the northeast corner, they will encounter the island "Transition Between Planes". It is a large 60-foot swell that carves and bisects the main body of the reflecting pool. This will pull the viewers eye into a uniquely sculpted space created only by the transition between the surface of the water and the fluid glass components suspended above it.

"Transition Between Planes" tapers into "Wisps", a large field of hundreds of small glass forms breaching the surface only by inches creating a plane that honors the incredibly intimate space between the actual surface of the water and the air. Then transforming to steam, or smoke that looks as if the breeze has lifted and dissipated it towards the sky.

Moving towards the museum the viewer has the opportunity to experience a large open plane of resting water. Sculpture is as much about the mass as the void.

Situated on the southwest corner of the plaza, "The Cascades" are a massive arch of glass, approximately 10 to 15 feet tall, 40 feet long and 20 feet wide, capturing the flow of water. The island gives the viewer an opportunity to be enveloped underneath the mist, vapors and surge of a cascading mass.

As the viewer rounds the corner to enter the museum, they are welcomed by a vibrant and colorful grouping, "Echo" that languidly sprawls across the surface of the pool. These elements simply rest in the water. This island creates intimacy, giving the viewer an opportunity to experience the dance of color, texture and reflective light.

Water continually exposes us to phases of matter revealing the dynamic repetitive structures inherent in nature. It repeats itself in diverse forms, flowing to creating a passage, a line, a twist, and an eddy that is continually impacted by its surroundings. It has become clear to me that the past twenty-five years of exploration with the idea of 'flow' is the underlining thread that binds my work. "Great sculpture is like music, all you have to do is feel it."