Iapetus was crafted in Maine during the early days of the pandemic. It tells my story of having to work with local materials available, turning out to be a literal impenetrable block, and as a metaphor of essential workers surviving this time with resourcefulness and tenacity as beacons for all.
Amongst some of the oldest stone in the world, this block dates 500M to 1 billion years old, thrust up from the sea floor during the continental collisions that formed Pangea.
In carving this piece ‘Iapetus’ during the pandemic I was forced to venture away from my familiarity with alabaster into the challenging territory of granite, some of the hardest stone on earth.
Over a period of three months I diligently crafted and refined a circular aperture using only basic power tools.
The final work, depending on the viewer’s perspective, can evoke various celestial phenomena: from the phases of the moon and an eclipse to the rings of Saturn or the elusive presence of a black hole.
Marcus De Paula Sculpture
Iapetus
Iapetus
Materials
Materials
Maine black granite and resin backlit with LED
Dimensions
Dimensions
7” x 17” x 19”
