GLOBAL PERCEPTION

Architect: Tabb Heyward
Project: Global Headquarters Trapezoid Atrium, Columbia, SC
Client: PMSC

Global Perception, an 876 square foot silk batik, is a three dimensional adaptation of Buckminster Fuller’s Map. A 21’ x 9’ earth centers on a concrete wall with 7’, 14’ and 21’ drapes of yellow. The floor measures 80’ x 28’ on the largest and shortest axis. Hanging within the 38’ space between the 4th floor and the top railing of the 2nd floor, the silk is suspended from 22 points off of the triangular ceiling grid. Viewers enjoy the sculpture from any catwalk level as well as from the floor. The Pacific Rim and North Pole drapes are 21’ x 6’; South America and Antarctica are 14’ x 6’. These swags are diagonal cuts of Buckminster’s design. The yellows uniting the art vary from lime green to the saffron robes of monks. I see the dyed drapes as candles for the earth’s environmental protection. The design is fragmented and thrown around in space just as countries are often disconnected from each other by language, oceans and culture. Global Perception is believed to be the largest batik on the planet.

SLICE OF SOUTH CAROLINA

Architect: Tabb Heyward
Project: Global Headquarters Visitor’s Atrium, Columbia, SC
Client: Mynd formerly known as PMSC

Slice of South Carolina is my longest batik on silk, 27’ x 6.5’. The northeast elevation wall is 44’ tall and 10’ wide. Using the wall as a frame, the 3’ panels are suspended from the ceiling and hang from the top rail of the fourth floor to the top rail of the second floor. The design is a segment of South Carolina from the coastline to the mountains.

CHARLESTON WATERWAYS

Architect: Richard Powell, LS3P, Charleston, SC
Project: Charleston International Airport, Charleston, SC
Client: Charleston County Aviation Authority

Charleston Waterways is a 74 yard sculpture of batik on silk, 3 feet wide weaving a draped pattern representing the marshes which one flies over when arriving in Charleston International Airport. Each of the 7 drapes repeat an architectural line lending a tent like ceiling to the 20’ x 12’ x 20’ central atrium space. This sculptural design changes as the direction of the entry of the viewer moves and also works from the windows of the second story conference room. Mapping the coastline and peninsula of Charleston, the fabric softens the surroundings adding color and absorbing sound. Installed May 1989, the piece was destroyed by Hurricane Hugo September 1989. The work was replaced May 1991. The design process was a collaborative effort between the architect, the artist and the design committee.

BOSTON I

Boston I 39” x 126”

Commissioned by the New England Aquarium in for their permanent collection, the design is from an aerial perspective taken over islands situated in the harbor. The cityscape of Boston’s dynamic skyline and shoreline. Using artistic license, I have eliminated the visual noise of human development in the foreground and brought the harbor back to a natural state.

BEYOND FORT JOHNSON

Architect: Craig, Gaulden and Davis
Project: Hollings Marine Laboratory

Beyond Fort Johnson is a sculpture of 3 panels, each 21’ x 3’, suspended in the Hollings Marine Laboratory Atrium Entry, Charleston, SC. The art is an aerial view of the landscape facing the Atlantic Ocean over the bulding site in Charleston, SC. The subtle Kinetic sculture fans from the outside wall to the center and repeats the architectural curve of the building.

CHARLESTON RED

Charleston Red 108” x 72”

Commissioned for the Honorable Philip J. Lader, Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the silk image is derived from a nautical chart of the Charleston, SC area.

VENUS

Venus 112” x 37”

Elliot School of International Affairs, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., purchased the batik which is a visual slice of the planet.

LULLWATER AERIAL

Lullwater Aerial 9’ x 7’

Emory University commissioned this batik for the President’s estate house The 3 panels depict Lullwater’s forest and Chandler Lake in the midst of an urban environment. The silks feel like an English country garden tapestry appropriate for the residence designed in the style of the 16th century.

RIDGES AND RIVERS

Architect: Craig, Gaulden and Davis, Inc., Greenville, SC
Project: Frederick W. Symmes Branch Library, Greenville, SC
Client: Friends of the Library

Ridges and Rivers is an aerial reflection of the mountain ridges, gorge and water surrounding the Symmes Library. Batik on silk panels portray a 5’ x 12’ view of Table Rock in the Appalachian Mountains, stylized similar to a Japanese woodblock print. The architectural triangular lines are repeated by the 3’ x 16’ drapes of the local rivers; the Reedy River flowing through the center of the city of Greenville and the Saluda River forming the county border. As a site-specific installation, the silks offer a restful sense of place, connecting the exterior environment with the interior library space.

NORTH AND SOUTH SANTEE

North and South Santee 5’9’’ x 18’9’’

Prouvost Lefabvre & Co. commissioned this batik on silk for their cafeteria wall. The 5 silk panels feature the aerial environs of the textile mills location. The rivers are the colors of an ancient kimono.

HURRICANE SEASON

Hurricane Season 50” x 36”

The Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, Washington, DC, commissioned this batik of Hurricane Hugo for their board meeting room wall. My work has been used for many of their publications and this was also the cover of The Hidden Costs of Coastal Hazards for Risk Management and Mitigation published in 1999 by Island Press.

AMAZON RIVERS

Amazon Rivers 103” x 35”

As National Aeronautics & Space Administration, Washington, DC, Artist of the Year in 1995, I was able to research all the images from satellite imagery to date and chose this environmental theme for their permanent collection.

WEST COAST AND EAST COAST

West Coast & East Coast two panels 84” x 48” each

The U.S. Embassy in Thailand also commissioned a 21’ x 7’ batik for the foyer. These framed silks hang on both sides of the elevator leading to the Ambassador in Bangkok. The West Coast USA was derived from a map in the New York Times Atlas of the World and East Coast USA from a NOAA, AVHRR Mosaic in Looking At Earth.

CHARLESTON COASTLINE

Architect: Lyons and Zaremba, Boston
Project: Visitor Reception and Transportation Center
Client: City of Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston Coastline, 5’9” x 18’9”, is a 5 panel batik on shantung silk. The center panel features the Charleston peninsula in bright red, bordered by the Cooper River on the right and the Ashley River on the left. Barrier islands to the right of Charleston Harbor are Sullivans, Isle of Palms, Dewees, Capers and Bull. To the left are Morris, Folly, Kiawah, Seabrook and Botany Bay. The large body of water in the far left panel is the North Edisto River flowing into Wadmalaw. Daniel Island sits between the Wando and Cooper Rivers. The intra coastal waterway runs between James and Johns Islands. Reds and oranges represent land while the taupes depict marsh. Looking at this animated aerial perspective of land meeting water, one can understand whey the area is called “The Lowcountry”. A second negative image made by the water is a gnarled oak tree with its branches the rivers and its roots in the islands below.

INSTALLATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA

This art exhibit of aerial and outer space perspectives transformed the atrium of the Stephenson Research & Technology Center. I lectured on site specific works and on Deltas, Barrier Islands and Beyond for the Honors College.