Blocks I-IV

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  Blocks | 2016

These works are an extension of an earlier series partially inspired by Tiwanaku, an archaeological site in Bolivia. Within the larger site of Tiwanaku is the temple complex of Pumapunku, meaning “the door of the mountain lion,” in the indigenous language of the region. The wildcat was considered sacred to the Incas, and Tiwanaku was believed to be the origin of the world. Throughout the site are several monumental doorways, including the Gate of the Moon and the Gate of the Sun. In the absence of the civilizations that once thrived in such locations, Tiwanaku and other archaeological sites elicit a heightened sense of awareness of temporality. All that remains to be observed are fragments of the structures built by the people who once existed there. Such sites also bring to mind the dichotomy between the impermanence of human life, and the permanence of the structures we build within our environments. This series explores the motifs of four stone blocks from Pumapunku. While a stone block can be seen as a permanent, immovable object, the motifs within the stones depict images of thresholds, spaces to enter, pass through, and emerge from. The blocks themselves are fairly permanent, but also evoke a sense of impermanence. The passage of time is embodied in the experience of passing through and among the physical objects.