‘marble with fluorescent tube’ by castor design studiomarble with fluorescent tube, installed at gallery house in toronto, ON, canada

 

 

considering its apparent simplicity, ‘marble with fluorescent tube’ by toronto-based castor design studio makes a wide variety of references, which at times, approach contradiction. the form of the sculpture’s base is a clear nod to the work of 1960’s minimalist artists. in contrast with these modern references, the material from which the bases have been executed – marble – is closely tied to the history of figurative sculpture. a final competing reference presents itself in the fact that the sculpture includes electronic components, and is, to a degree, interactive.

 

at first glance, ‘marble with fluorescent tube’s’ monolithic 2,500 pound base appears to be at odds with the banality of the bulb which sits on top of it. however, a closer examination of the sculpture reveals that the bulb is emitting light, although the pins through which a fluorescent bulb normally receives current remain unconnected, and the tube appears to be unpowered. the effect is achieved through the wireless transmission of electricity. the marble base houses a circuit that safely stores an electric current within a magnetic field, which is then transferred into the fluorescent bulb. while being displayed, the bulb sits in a channel carved into the sculpture’s marble base. it will continue to emit light if lifted several inches away.

 

 

marble with fluorescent tube by castor design studio - 2marble with fluorescent tube, installed at gallery house in toronto, ON, canada

 

 

marble with fluorescent tube by castor design studio - 3close-ups of the fluorescent bulb resting on marble base

 

 

marble with fluorescent tube by castor design studio - 4close-ups of the fluorescent bulb resting on marble base

 

 

marble with fluorescent tube by castor design studio - 5close-ups of the fluorescent tube in the dark

 

 

marble with fluorescent tube by castor design studio - 6close-ups of the fluorescent tube in the dark

 

 

marble with fluorescent tube by castor design studio - 7smaller version of marble with fluorescent tube, one in an edition of 10

 

 

marble with fluorescent tube by castor design studio - 8demonstration of the fluorescent bulb being powered wirelessly

 

 

marble with fluorescent tube by castor design studio - 9initial studies of bulb placement in relation to marble base, chalk on chalkboard

 

 

marble with fluorescent tube by castor design studio - 101:6 scale plaster models of ‘marble with fluorescent tube’

 

 

marble with fluorescent tube by castor design studio - 11the artist carving the bulb channel into the sculpture’s marble base

 

 

marble with fluorescent tube by castor design studio - 12the nearly complete bulb channel

 

 

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