Black Heart (2001)

12 feet by 6 feet by 1 foot high

In Black Heart I was thinking about the similarities between visualizations of the anatomy of the body and that of certain aspects of flora. I also wanted to add another sensual experience besides sight. I made a giant heart and set it in a bowl in a huge bed of turmeric. The turmeric let off a distinct aroma. A copper arterial system emerged from the heart. Abstract leaves and buds made of ceramic and glass fell onto the powdery yellow bed running into a stream of blood colored leaves that edged the entire piece. The gigantic scale made the piece appear both humorous and grotesque.