AN UPDATE ON THE EAGLE & THE CONDOR ANCESTRAL SPACESHIP ASSEMBLAGE:
Let me tell you about the recent developments of a sculpture I’ve been working on for quite some time.
It’s been approximately two years since I wrote my first post about the Eagle & The Condor, the 13th and final assemblage from my “Ancestral Spaceship” series.
For those of you who attended, this is the piece I shared on my Zoom webinar on Sept. 24th from Meredith College (check the bottom of this post for the re-play link if you missed it).
After much studio DIY, and the completion of a variety of composite works, I’ve finally finished this wooden base. It’s laying on a table to the left. The design has come a long way since its inception. As you’ll see further down, I’ll be adding collage elements to this structure!
…As you can see, my ceiling rafters are still showing, but at least I know what all my water pipes look like…and where they go! I can also do pull ups from the rafters (…NOT…I can hang from them though).
How It All Started:
In 2003 I had a waking dream of a large white bird of prey with wings outstretched in flight. The entire body was made of circuit board patterning instead of feathers.
This is a digital collage sketch of that experience:
Stumbling Upon the Perfect Wood Scraps:
The piece started to materialize 14 years later (2017) when I spotted the wing boards by the side of the road and, true to my up-cycling tradition, the Eagle & Condor assemblage was born:
The Prophecy of the Eagle & the Condor:
It’s Inspired by the Prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor and represents the integration of the mind (eagle) with the heart (condor), which I think is very significant for the times we’re living in (more on this near the end of the letter).
The Eagle & The Condor is an ancient prophecy, shared by many Indigenous people. The prophecy says when the Eagle of North America and the Condor of South America unite; the spirit of peace will awaken on Earth. The Prophecy of The Eagle & the Condor originated from the Quechua people in Ecuador. Within a broader context, the joining of these iconic sky dwellers symbolizes the integration of the mind (eagle) with the heart (condor).
Copper Coils & Circuit Board Patterns:
Eventually the entire bird will be collaged. I’ll be using both circuit related imagery from a previous surface design project and actual circuit board parts. The copper coils around the eye were salvaged from my old iMac computer:
White Primer Added:
Here’s the assemblage after being primed white. The number 500 is there to represent the 500 year interval between 1492 and 1992. As author John Perkins (Confessions of an Economic Hitman) explains, the prophecy of the Eagle & the Condor says that five hundred years after the landing of Columbus, the opportunity will arise for the Eagle and the Condor to fly together!
2 & 3D Collage Elements:
An in-process shot with the piecing of circuit patterned collage elements and various found 3D parts. Notice its circuit board design entrails:
COVID-19 Connection:
The Eagle & the Condor is a bird whose time has come, a reconciliation of heart and head, a balanced amalgamation of ancient knowledge and modern technology.
With COVID-19, the EARTH 🌎 is sending us a strong message that we need to make a drastic shift in the way we live, govern ourselves, and conduct business; we are being shown that “business as usual” is not sustainable.
Hurricanes, floods, mass extinction of plants and animals, fires and diseases are telling us to reexamine who we are as individuals and as a species.
Medical science has some of the answers, but developing a vaccine is not enough.
…and there’s no going back to “normal”…only going forward
Our willingness to listen to the messages of “the web of life” A.K.A. “nature” will bring us to the other answers.
We need both kinds of answers. Answers that come from both the head and the heart!
AN IN-PROCESS VIDEO GLIMPSE:
Quick studio video showing the scale of the sculpture base.
…Stay tuned for news on the finished piece!
Click Below to View the Meredith College Zoom webinar on Sept. 24th:
