Elements

Inger Sannes

Elements
Inger Sannes
Marble, 11.5’ high. Carved at Studio Sem, Pietrasanta, Italy. Installed 2008.

Elements’ journey began high in Italy’s Carrara Mountains, where sculptor Inger Sannes went to select the marble through which she could express the idea she wanted to share with Newport News. The massive 44 ton block was cut from the mountain, hauled down to Pietrasanta, where artists and artisans have been making sculpture since the days of Michelangelo, and installed at the legendary Studio Sem. Painstakingly, everything that was not Elements was chiseled away, until all the was left was the physical manifestation of Sannes’ vision for a piece to grace the roundabout in front of the library at a university that is in the process of transforming itself and the area round it.

In that context, the very abstract idea which Sannes communicates through very concrete stone takes on meaning and significance. She often incorporates two elements into her sculpture, as she explores how we can develop and grow, how we can branch off in new directions while staying true to our core selves. In this piece, you will notice one element that is firmly anchored to the base and one that is not. The two elements also express, as Sannes explains in the Audio Tour, the dynamic of the university, solidly based in knowledge and history, educating students who can develop new ideas and new lives out in the world.

 

 Audio Tour: Hear Sannes tell you about her piece.

Click here to learn more about Inger Sannes.