Garden of Delight
Dimensions: 0.5′ high x 6′ wide x 3′ deep (plus pedestal) | 15 cm high x 183 cm wide x 91 cm deep
Media: hot glue, paint, velvet, wood
Date: 2003
The Garden of Delight is the latest incarnation of the Golden Cities series. This body of work (2000 to 2003) centers around the creation of Lilliputian metropolises that act as multi-layered encyclopedias of form: referencing biology, architecture, jewelry design, decorative arts, art history, and the human form. Influenced by the heightened ornamentality of Middle Eastern craft, I revel in the seductive beauty and power of detail, and its potential to create metaphoric and poetic meaning. The eventual realization that this rich vocabulary is simply hot glue molded over everyday objects underscores a sense of absurdity and magical transformation.