[ < Back ]

Pius-web17

Pius. Oak. 118cm tall

"Whilst in Poland in 1998 I was given a lime tree that grew by the stream next to my mother's ancestral home. I carved a 2.5m tall ancestral figure. Looking at the growth rings of the tree I counted back to the year when my mother was born. That particular ring immediately acquired a special significance.

Who were the people who came into contact with the tree in that year? What about the other years in that far off village of Dominikowice in South East Poland. Is there a memory of these people in that tree, did their presence leave a trace within it? How to release it?

The carving "Pius" is named after an unknown relative from the family tree uncovered after a recent search of the parish records of Dominikowice Village in Poland. "Pius" occupies a certain place in time, a place in the history of the tree as represented by the growth circles. I am conscious of where he stands within the tree trunk and on which growth rings".

[ < Back ]