The “Oculus” brings forward a contemporary vision of our deepest fears – timelessness, the mysteries of life and death, the unknowable. As the viewer explores the space the passing of light conveys the natural cycle of corporal decomposition: rebirth through transformation into earthly nourishment. Humans, as earthly beings, cannot avoid this conflict with nature and death. In contrast, the multi-dimensional, fractal imagery of the stained-glass panel invokes the spiritual essence of the soul and its ability to transcend the physical debt.
This site-specific work is an allegory of the human connection with nature. It establishes a bridge with the human body and math that appears in nature. The Oculus invites one to have a deeper contemplation of our universe, and to shift one’s perception of reality.
Oculus, is a large stained glass sculpture almost two feet in diameter, inspired by the stained glass rosette windows in medieval churches. It hangs from a metal-link chain in front of a white wall, lending a platform for the lights projecting onto the sculpture and casting reflections, colors, and shadows. The sculpture resembles a snowflake, hexagonal and rounded with a very detailed cut-out design created using small pieces of glass in squares, triangles, rectangles & other geometric shapes.
The glass pieces are grouped at various angles, leaving small open sections of the sculpture, lending a lightness despite its overall size. Created using the Tiffany technique for stained glass, the pieces are beveled, to reflect colors and repeated patterns. There are also pieces of dichroic glass along the perimeter of the sculpture, which reflect light in a different color than the color of the glass itself. The colors range from bright greens, blues, pinks, and yellows to pastels in creams, whites, and teals.
On six triangles framing the center of the sculpture, Divinorum’s mother, Silvia Weigel, has painted grisaille roses, creating a thin black outline of the flowers on clear glass. Delicate stems and leaves support small closed rosebuds, winding their way across the glass pieces to create a vegetal and organic complement to the otherwise geometric and structured composition.
picture by Nadia Bautista @misscomplejo
Lincoln Center's Studio visit pictures by Lawrence Sumulong