Human+Nature
My family visited the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, this week to witness the new art installation, Human+Nature by South African artist Daniel Popper. I came across an image of the piece titled "Hallow" on Instagram maybe a couple of weeks ago, and I quickly found out where it was and that there were more. The artwork I saw in my search spoke in a language I think I know, and it said something about how I feel in my soul about plants. So we went to see.
This exhibit is comprised of five 15- to 25-foot-tall sculptures made using concrete, fiberglass, steel, and wood. It explores connections between humans and nature. Are they indeed separate categories? They depict human figures made of natural materials. But are they personifications of nature, or humans in nature, or neither or both? Probably both! It's up to you!
I'm sharing them in the order that we viewed them, which is determined by where they were placed as accessed by driving on the one-way main route.
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| Hallow |
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| The inside of Hallow, lined with sticks and decorated with metal roses. |
Hallow
"Hallow" means to honor as holy. As a Christian, I view nature as the Created world, made by God. Saint Hildegard of Bingen wrote, "All living creatures* are sparks from the radiation of God's brilliance." John Wesley preached this: "[...]that God is in all things, and that we are to see the Creator in the glass of every creature*; that we should use and look upon nothing as separate from God." (*To me, this includes plants.) We treat houses of worship as holy. So why not treat nature the same, as God is here too? This is my context, but I don't think you need to be a Christian or a person of another faith to view nature with reverence.
I wonder if there's a play on the word "hollow" as well, with the way the figure is opening herself. It's a little odd to see her tearing her chest open. It's a little violent, yet she looks so calm. I'm not sure quite what to make of this. Does nature harm herself for our sake? (I know we manage to inflict harm upon her ourselves.)
There is not a sense of hollow emptiness. It's an opening of generosity, a passage to enter into the experience of and the gifts of the natural world. An invitation. A holy relationship. The viewer can physically enter this sculpture as if through a gateway.
This sculpture is placed close by a crossing of paths near common gathering spaces, and is the most accessible of the pieces.
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| Hallow |
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| Umi |
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| Inside Umi |
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| Umi |
Umi
Umi is derived from an Arabic word meaning mother or my mother. This sculpture is placed in grassy field dotted with trees. On the opposite side of the road is a marsh. We were met by several Canada geese in the small parking strip at this stop. We walked down a gradual hill into a soft-feeling space to meet this mother. She gazes lovingly at her belly, caressing it with her hands. Is this Nature as Mother Earth? The Earth that cradles us, nurtures and shelters us, and provides for our needs. Her form is made of open vine/branch shaped framework, and one can actually enter into the sculpture and be embraced by her body. A representation of our relationship with the source.
Note that Virginia creeper has been planted around the base of the sculpture, and over time the vine will grow around the figure.
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| Sentient |
Sentient
"Sentient" means able to perceive or feel things. I've heard it said that humans are the consciousness of the Earth. But perhaps we're not the only ones with sentience. And even if we were, does that necessarily mean superiority? Giving humans the right to conquer and exploit?
Said the artist, "Human consciousness grows out of nature and the mind opens in meditation."
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| Heartwood |
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| Heartwood |
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| Heartwood |
Heartwood
"Heartwood" is the dense inner part of a tree trunk. This is the form of a woman, bisected, and on the inside of the two halves are the imprint of the rings of a tree trunk and a human fingerprint. We are reminded of our kinship with trees. Of course this reminds me of the famous but oft-uncredited "Against Forgetting" piece by Nina Montenegro of The Far Woods:
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| Basilica |
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| Basilica |
Basilica
"The hands create an atmosphere for us to enter into a meditative stillness and presence." - Daniel Popper
A "basilica" was originally an Ancient Roman type of multi-functional public building, then an architectural style of Christian churches. In the Catholic church, a basilica is a special church specially designated by a Pope and is used for special ceremonies, for example, St. Peter's in the Vatican with the famous dome. They are sites of pilgrimage, places of worship. Many people, religious or not, sense a feeling of reverence and worship when they are in nature. Indeed, the world has many natural sites you could call pilgrimage sites--mountains, rivers, and other places visitors from all over the world travel to see.
Jonathan noted that there are three arches, which reminded me of the architecture of a basilica--a central nave and two aisles.
This is the only piece that I didn't see in photos before I saw it in person and the last one we saw before we departed, so I was full of anticipation waiting to finally glimpse it. It was my favorite.
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| Basilica |
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See more on Human+Nature at the Arboretum website, including a brief video. The website states that Human+Nature will be up for at least one year.
Visit Daniel Popper's website.
Whenever I hear the word "heartwood," I always think of the gorgeous songs from The Lost Words Spell Songs: "Heartwood"
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