Portal Do Sul. Unity Portal.

2017-2019; repurposed timber, concrete, hardware, oil paint, sealant; 4.5x18.5x13.5 feet

Commissioned by Instituto Catuçaba in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

Portal Do Sul is an architectural-sculptural installation that conveys a unifying vision of the world.

It was conceived as ‘the house of nature’ which is always open and which includes all and accommodates all without exceptions.

Evoking the reciprocal interrelationships with nature and among the visitors, the work serves as the threshold for personal transformation that calls into focus the ultimate unity of our existence and unlimited human potential.

The sculpture was constructed from reclaimed timber as part of a regional reforestation initiative with native tree species. Part of the Earth Portals - Unity Portals series of interrelated works, it examines human relationships with nature and with each other.

Portal Do Sul’s  framework was inspired by the natural geometry of a circle - O - and the façade of an old countryside house in Brazil which was constructed in a vernacular architectural tradition known as pau-a-pique (where mud, straw and bamboo are used structurally to build walls).

The ecology of Serra Do Mar Atlantic rain-forest, where the work is installed, also plays a pivotal role in its perception, as the surrounding natural environment with its boundary-less vistas is conceived to be an integral part of this installation.

The open framework of Portal Do Sul is designed to be interactive and engage the audience.

The sculpture is aligned with the daily movement of the Sun and the Earth’s four cardinal directions. It is open from the south to the north and it was devised as an ecological structure that channels the natural elements and energy of the site to heighten visitors’ perception of nature’s exuberant beauty and its unsurpassed power.

 

Love-ego=LOV

is a participatory public art initiative launched in 2005 and composed of multidisciplinary artworks articulating the themes of unity and interdependence of human lives amidst the contemporary volatile socio-ecological conditions.

The works cultivate the holistic way of learning, living, working and relating to each other while exploring the creative potential of public art to make a tangible impact on daily life in specific communities.

Its title is an artist-conceived linguistic and visual expression that defines the notion of egoless LOV. It employs equation as its method to present a ‘formula’ that eloquently interprets the integrative qualities of love and serves as the foundation for a diverse group of socially-engaged artworks.

Love-ego=LOV Gardens is a series of eco-conscious landscape sculptures and workshops. The first LOV Garden, depicted above, was commissioned by Instituto Catuçaba in Brazil in 2012. It was planted at Fazenda Catuçaba in the Serra Do Mar region of the state of São Paulo in response to the fertile topsoil erosion from the farm field.

It's size measured approximately 50 x 70 meters and featured newly planted native plants, trees medicinal, herbs, and flowers. We used organic manure as a fertilizer and equipped the garden with irrigation system.

The primary focus of the project was the cultivation of intergenerational collaborative work ethics by engaging the community in a creative process of designing and planting the LOV Garden.

The works contributed to the regeneration of ecologically neglected areas of land at a natural site by creating erosion-preventive garden of native plant species.

 

Select Sculptural works.

My works articulate the unity of human experience as interdependent on each other and on the natural environment.

The works further experiment with conceiving of the new modes for community living and human relations as we confront environmental and social decline.

The sculptures presented here allude to the notion of trans-space where the perception of spatial volume is integrative with the social and natural environment.