Industrial Garden

Upon entering this factory space, the first things I noticed were the strong brick structure and the variety of industrial materials that were scattered about. The enormous scale of the environment was simultaneously overwhelming and inspiring. I immediately decided to use only the materials that were already here in creating my on-site installation.

At the entrance of the factory, I built The Sphere (10’x12’x 8’) made from metallic wire. To the right of this sculpture, I made a table to display the space ship drawings of Ethan Abelev, a six-year-old emerging artist.

Inspired by these works, I constructed The Space Ship (29’x 24’x 13’) located nearby. Made from metallic strips and such found objects as tire wheels, garbage bags, cylindrical tubes, car bumpers, and silver construction sheeting, The Space Ship was molded to reflect the surrounding structure. Also, I created a sense of mystery as the light streaming in from a skylight in the ceiling, hits the cupola-shaped top of vehicle.

On a wall of the long hallway headed by The Sphere, I installed six large glass panels (6.5’x2.5’ each) entitled Reflection, and several of these panels reflect light coming from windows on the opposite wall. Next to these light-reflecting windows are ready-made niche squares where I placed used coffee cups. The Calendar tracks the time I spent creating this installation. Further down toward the end of this hallway, I built an Ark (42’x7’x 28’) again using wire found in the factory.

My next construction, The Orange Dragon, was created in a gallery located down and off of another major hallway that begins on the other side of The Sphere at the entrance. This large sculpture (48’x 12’x 23’) was made from metal industrial stilts, and I used red and orange colored lights to create depth and drama.

Outside this gallery along the major hallway, I constructed a display cabinet (18’x 8’x 4’) using plaster board to house Ethan Abelev’s drawings of monsters and dinosaurs. Further down, I created The Piano (12’x 8’x 9’) from industrial material used in insulation together with bricks representing keys.

Nearby in another gallery off this major hallway, I constructed Hollow Angel (31’x 8’x 14’). For this sculpture, I used empty garbage containers, wooden panels, metallic stilts for the wings, a small dead Christmas tree for the head and other found objects.

The Industrial Garden evolved over time, inspired by Ethan Abelev’s drawings, the incredible space in this factory, and the scattered materials, waiting to be found.