"Tree,"
2006
Medium: 3,744 spools of thread, stainless steel ball
chain and hanging apparatus,
and 5 convex mirrors mounted on the opposing wall
Dimensions: 61" h x 96" w (98"h with ball
chain and hanging apparatus)
Commissioned for a Private Residence, Belvedere, CA
I am interested in the link between art and technology, how the eyes prioritize, and reality as a subjective experience vs. an absolute truth. As a visual artist, I cannot think of a topic more stimulating and yet so basic, than the act of seeing--how the human brain makes sense of the visual world. -- Devorah Sperber, 2005
Tree is a site-specific installation, constructed from 3,744 spools of thread, which coalesce into the image of a tree (which is visible from the living room windows) when seen reflected in five convex mirrors mounted on the opposing wall.
Detail of thread spools (each spool 1 1/4" h)
Experiential Component: Visitors entering through the front door of the residence first perceive the spools of thread as a random arrangement of colorful cylinders. It is only after they step into the living room and turn to face the opposing wall, that the thread spools become visible in five convex mirrors, revealing the imagery of the Tree. This shift in perception functions as a dramatic mechanism to present the idea that there is no one truth or reality, emphasizing subjective reality vs. an absolute truth.
Devorah Sperber is a New York-based artist whose sculptures, composed of thousands of ordinary objects, negotiate a terrain between low and high tech. Her labor-intensive works explore repetition and the effects of digital technology on perception, scale, and subjective reality. -Patricia Phillips, Executive Editor, Art Journal
© Devorah Sperber Inc. 2000
