“The repeating arcs in the sculpture continue holding each other, they are interlocking. We can see the pattern arranging itself.”
For Willard, the repeating elements of the sculpture mirror some plants, where the leaves are produced in repeating patterns. A spiral of interlocking parts expands out from the central growth point. In Zimbabwe, there are numerous indigenous plants, such as palms, which might have inspired Willard’s idea.
Amazingly, as with all Willard’s sculptures, he has carved this lovely piece from a single solid piece of stone. He is so lucky, because the area of northern Zimbabwe where he lives has such varied and interesting geology. Much of it is serpentine, which is a very unusual type of stone globally; however, it is the perfect hardness and structure for sculpting.
This particular variety of serpentine is a subset of what’s known locally as ‘leopard rock’; we think of it as having tiger stripes!
It is especially hard and rings with a metallic sound when struck with a punch.
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