Mark Walker

Light and Fire

Sun, Light, Fire and Water – a sculpture, comprised of three parts, celebrating through a diverse yet strong, clear symbolism, life that is created from light within water. The pieces stand in water and on water, in a pool replenished by falls of water, overseeing a panorama of the Alps and of the lake of Zug. A horizontal sundial made of flamed and brushed Nero Assoluto granite and a torch and pillar made of steel, complete the sculpture.

The sundial graphic was engraved by water jet ca. 7 mm deep into the stone. The dial counts the hours of light that radiate the day. The torch with exaggerated edges, reflected in the water, harbors a fire, which on the 21st June, the summer solstice, is duplicated in the pillar. The heart of the sculpture is the burning flame. Four glorious, majestic female heads with helmets or manes of hair, like goddesses, represent the four cardinal directions and the four elements. At midday the sun shines through a triangular opening into the heart of the sculpture. The sunlight is reflected inside the pillar by a Satinato glass plate. The months can be read through an opening on the back side of the pillar according to elevation of the sun. The highlight of this sculpture occurs on the summer solstice, when at noon of the 21st June, a fire ignites between the heads of the four goddesses, similar to the Olympic flame, signaling the start of summer.

The goddesses in their four poses represent the old earth goddesses. Pregnant with the fruit of the fields, they secure the survival of mankind. The summer solstice is a festival of thanks and the midsummer fire that weaves and dances skywards between the four heads is a fire of thanks.

The granite and steel sculpture conveys aesthetically yet symbolically, life and its terms –sincerely and playfully at the same time.

Dr. A. Fischbacher / Oetwil a.d.L., 20. Juni 2010