Description
This incredible “living sculpture” was handcrafted by artist, Jackie W. The found giant whelk shell plays host to an arrangement of purple and green moss. Look closely to see some Spanish moss at the bottom. A single starbust shaped air plant emerges from the heart of the moss. The plant is alive, reclaiming the shell as it’s home. The living sculpture exhibits the tenacious ability for life to find a way to thrive, even in the most unlikely circumstances. This snail shell once roamed the ocean floor, now it has become a sort of terrestrial reef.
Jackie W. is a classically trained artist hailing from New York. Recent sculptural work has centered on the mystery of life, and it’s genesis. The artist concedes that the secrets of life may forever remain enigmatic. However, her work draws us closer into our relationship with our own vital essence and that of the world around us. This piece was created in spring of 2021. The air plant in this living sculpture is… the owner must water the air plant.
*** This piece may look different when it arrives to you because the plant is living and evolving with time***
This piece was handcrafted from a giant whelk shell sourced from Florida’s Gulf Coast, steel rods and spalted maple. The shell shows signs of organic wear. The lines and pitting you see on it’s surface was actually caused by smaller sea snails feeding on the discarded whelk shell. The artist specifically chooses battered shells like this to illustrate the symbiotic dynamic between creatures, their neighbors, and the environment. Marbling within the spalted maple is caused by a bacterial infestation in the wood. A seemingly destructive infection has, in turn, become a thing of beauty.
