Mark Warwick
Isolation
2020
Copper, Steel, and Rusted Steel
7x4.59 in.
Mark Warwick is originally from Liverpool, England. He has lived in the United States for almost half of his life, but he retains a deep connection to his home city. Using chemical patinas and abstract figures, he examines issues of identity, community, and place. He believes that the people we spend time with and the places we inhabit all influence us, yet we retain an important inner sense of place.The past is often interpreted through the narrow lens of history books and artifacts observed through glass cases. It is often seen but not felt. However, some objects carry with them a certain mysticism.
Isolation (detail)
2020
Copper, Steel, and Rusted Steel
7x4.59 in.
From the Paleolithic bone flutes found in the caves of France to the whistling vessels of Peru, these objects not only serve as a visual window to the past but they also carry with them the ability to recreate it. Music has been an incredibly powerful tool for me to channel my thoughts and emotions and this body of work is a further exploration into what that means. It is an effort to find my own voice in that timeline and to bridge a connection when there are no words. Lore is the unwritten history; a cumulative narrative passed through generations. It may be magical or imaginative. For me, it is the memory of my grandfather who identified fossils and ancient rocks we would pick up on the beach and then showed me how to skip them over the water. Whether or not it is a conscious choice this memory is an integral part of this sculpture and my hope is to spark the same kind of curiosity in my audience as they are encouraged to interact with it and hear what it has to say.