SculptFest 2016 “Forecast Now”
               “Anthropocene Genesis”

            a proposal by Rick Rothrock

Concept statement:

We live inside of the weather. Living inside of the weather limits our ability to see it as a multi dimensional physical system that sensitively responds to the laws of thermodynamics. Energy is constantly being added to the system contributing to itsʼ dynamic state. Visualizing the scale and complexity of the natural and human events that influence the planetʼs weather system also lies just beyond the imagination of many people.

Consistent with the gaseous nature of the atmosphere, the fractal images that occur in the atmosphere we inhabit are very familiar. They are rooted in early symbolic language and surround us. The forms of the weathers system can be seen in clouds and weather maps using both simple and technical sources of data. This ubiquitous nature leads many to take these images for granted and fail to see them as a constant reminder of our connection to the continuous universe that surrounds us.

Proposal:

My proposal is to represent the atmosphere as a sensitively dynamic system that responds to our actions. I propose to do this by carving a continuous cyclonic image into a roughly spherical piece of marble approximately three to four feet in diameter and weighing between 2.300 and 5,360 pounds. The finished piece will have the continuous atmosphere carved to depict it rising out from the bottom of the spherical stone and turning into itself in the direction that weather takes in our northern hemisphere. The carving will be displayed hanging from high tensile strength rope from a tripod made of locally harvested tree saplings. The finished work will have resiliency and be dynamically sensitive to wind and human touch. Itʼs size and weight will assure a tendency to return to stability quickly while representing a sensitivity to every action placed upon it.