Tsunami, 2008-11, 60"w x 16"h x 13"d

Comment

Comment by Jocelyn Braxton Armstrong on April 1, 2012 at 9:24am

The name of the work came after my creating it.The architecture of the work was inspired by the architecture of a Japanese giant clam shell.  I did have water or waves in mind when I created it. These sort of flaps are an element I have been exploring in my work for some time. There are other works (Countessa, Highlander, Alison's Wish and Fountainhead) that also have flaps.

When I first showed Tsunami in 2008 it was only two sections and about half the size. Last year, the Gallery director of The Gallery for Contemporary Art at Sacred Heart University, wanted to show it and we decide to make it larger, which was something I had wanted to do. The materiality of the work lends the piece strength fragility and movement, all at once.

Comment by Resident Curator on March 31, 2012 at 7:36pm

Hello Jocelyn,

Thank you for posting another installation view of the work- it does enhance my understanding of the thin/semi-translucent porcelain walls.  It's a beautiful piece. (I should have said I was uncertain if your measurements were correct, as they were listed. Now it makes sense, considering the horizontal orientation.) It occurred to me that it could have been significantly larger; occupying a room-sized space by the way the forms sit on the ground.  But I also like seeing it on the illuminating pedestal.  I would assume viewing it at eye level also has a different feeling than looking down at the piece from above. The waves could potentially envelop the viewer’s field of vision and seem more forceful.

Comment by Jocelyn Braxton Armstrong on March 31, 2012 at 11:48am

Hello,

Thank you for your thoughtful comment. The work is 5 ft long and shown on a lit pedestal. I noticed that I transposed the measurements of the work online. It is actually 16"h x 60"w x 13" d.

 The pedestal is 42" h x 60" w x 12" d, with a 1" thick piece of frosted pexiglass sitting on top. It is lit by halogens from underneath. Installed and lit the work is very dramatic, as the light increases the contrast of shadows. The work is in 7 pieces.

Right now it is being shown at the GE Headquarters Cultural Art Gallery in Fairfield, CT for Women's History Month Exhibition until April 27. I will post a picture of the work installed.

Comment by Resident Curator on March 31, 2012 at 10:30am

Curator’s Comment:

 

While Tsunami doesn’t have scale indicated, the breaking forms appear more luxurious and gracefully sinuous than destructive.  Perhaps this is the actual nature of these entities.  I love the rhythmic punctuation of the blue slip against the thin white walled forms. Functioning as a complementary linear motif, the contrast helps me appreciate the final irregularity of the edge. The undulations of the rippled waves is both soothing and arresting.  While there’s no doubt that seeing this piece in actuality would allow better appreciation of its transparency, the sections of warmer back lit illumination suggest even greater fluctuations in opacity.