Sculpture - 'Out of darkness'
'Out of Darkness' is a unique and rarely found root ball burr sculpture that records the origins and unseen growth of the tree below ground. A tangle of roots encircle the growth before the tree emerges into the light.
The natural patina on the wood in places resembles the leathery skin of the Tollund man found in a Danish peat bog.
Provenance
It was discovered by chance when a storm blew over a dead-standing Ash tree near St Marks and lifted the root out of the ground. Careful removal of the clay and stones exposed the burr to the light for the first time.
Layers of clay and small stones were removed using small tools and brushes to reveal and preserve as much of the natural growth as possible. The 'shoot' was shaped using what little solid wood of the trunk remained.
Mounted on a phosphor bronze pedestal above an American Black walnut plinth
Dimensions:
Overall height - 77cm, Root ball height - 65cm
Root width - approximately 40c,
Plinth - 32cm square, 4.5cm deep
Bronze peg - 25mm diameter, 7.5cm visible