Plywood is so far removed from its original place in nature. This perfectly flat, angular board was once a living, moving tree blowing in the wind. The stark contrast of the original source and the end product inspired me to create a sculpture that highlighted seemingly opposite forces, such as nature and industry, coming together in perfect harmony.

The wood itself and the circular board on top represent the earth, the solid foundation from which the trees are born. The scorched boards represent fire, death, destruction, and the final chapter before rebirth in the cycle of life. The side panels represent wind with the flowing cuts and holes symbolizing the blowing breeze in trees. In this sculpture, I sought to bring these three elements together in balance by using the pieces that were cut out of the boards The task of using a whole sheet of plywood to create a sculpture that was not only the size of my body or larger, but also interactive was quite a daunting challenge for me.

As someone who usually works on the computer, working at this scale was very intimidating. Once I got into the woodshop, I enjoyed the process of sanding the boards and bringing them closer to their original state by cutting the organic forms and rounding the hard edges.