The entire sculpture is exhibited outdoors against the backdrop of mountains. Because of its impermanent and fragile materials, it is gradually reclaimed by the winds and rains of the same environment that helped make it beautiful. The paper and board collapse and deteriorate, the multimedia components fail and cease to function. The artwork returns to the raw materials from which it was fabricated.

Card Back Card Front

Left: Projected onto a white section of the sculpture, words tumble down like a waterfall. There is no sound, only the silent, unending falling of the words. When the words reach the bottom of the white form, they disappear off the edge of the form. Below this section of the sculpture is a flat, horizontal section on which is printed an image of books stacked on a bookshelf. The words of the waterfuall tumble down and appear to either disappear forever or, perhaps, disappear into the books. The text of the tumbling words has been submitted by volunteers and are selections those volunteers made of writings significant to them. The selected texts are in different languages and scripts. The waterfall becomes representative of human culture, human language, and human cognition.

 

Mountain Sculpture #4

Paper. Model size 25" tall. Intended size of final sculpture 2.5 m tall

© 2020, Michael O'Rourke

Hover over the image below to play a turntable animation of the model. Model size 25" tall.

Mountain Sculpture #4, with human figure to indicate scale and simulated background. Paper board, digital audio. Intended size 2.5m

The final sculpture will include several multimedia components.

Middle: Near the tumbling waterfall of words is a section of the sculpture that is low and mostly horizontal. Within this form, a hidden speaker emits the faint sounds of a gurgling stream. The sound of the stream is continuous, never ceasing.\

Right: On the opposite side of the sculpture, a large pure white arc form rests on a crescent white base form. Within the arc at either end of it are two hidden speakers. From each speaker, we hear the faint low sounds of human voices captured candidly on the streets of various cities. The voices are of many different people and are speaking completely informally: "You know, I don't really think this job ...."; "Five dollars! Five dollars!"; "I'm not saying we...." etc.