project overview
Fifteen years ago, sculptor Michael Rothschild made etchings of prehistoric human figures he found carved into the rock of a remote island off the coast of Maine. Fourteen years later his apprentice, Seth Aylmer, visited the same petroglyphs to meditate on how to bring the forms into the contemporary world. Rothschild’s ultimate vision is to attach 35 foot tall sculptures of the ancient figures to the bedrock of the Bay of Fundy in the northernmost part of coastal Maine where they will emerge from and submerge into the world’s highest tides, making their presence unequivocally felt once again. Artist and apprentice are both creating smaller works leading up to this final vision.
In Chapter 1, the apprentice attempts to square with the spiritual forces through a series of wax candles and a video artwork that channels the spirits.
In Chapter 2, the apprentice gives manifestation to the spirits through a tenuous, transient sculpture made from found sticks in Newton Creek, a historic body of water in New York City.
In Chapter 3, the apprentice proposes a more concrete, public apparition, proposing to erect The Helper, a benevolent figure made of poured concrete, in a public park in Brooklyn, NY.
In Chapter 4, artist and apprentice join forces in Maine to construct wooden models of the final sculpture proposed for an oceanic installation adjacent to a public park in Hog Island, Maine.
Lastly, Wildness will conclude in Chapter 5 with the fully fabricated 35 foot tall sculptures anchored into the the seabed.
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To learn more about sculptor Michael Rothschild visit: http://michaelrothschild.com
