Located in a clearing within an Italian forest, John Grade’s recent installation, Reservoir, looks like a chandelier glistening among the pine trees. The Reservoir is featured in the Arte Sella Sculpture Park in Borgo Valsugana. It’s made up of 5,000 clear droplets each of which is nicely attached to translucent nets, supported by tree trunks.
On designing Reservoir, Grade had studied the Park’s ecosystem, carefully planning the installation in harmony with the surrounding landscape. Reservoir is constructed from heat-formed plastic parts framed with steam-bent strips of Alaskan yellow cedar. Every droplet is attached to marine nets with fishing line that are then incorporated with stainless steel rings to maintain tensions and support the tree trunks above the structure. The shape of the translucent droplets is formed from casts of human hands cupped together.
The dry sculpture in its original configuration weighs seventy pounds, but when full of rainwater, it can exceed 800 pounds. Reservoir serves as a water resource for the surrounding landscape: when the water it holds evaporates, it creates a humid environment for the surrounding vegetation to flourish.
Taking place during one day of festivities, the 45-minute dance was performed three times during the day. Because of more control over Reservoir, the dancers brought the sculpture down to two feet from the ground, so that their bodies were fully immersed in the thousands of droplet-like forms.
View more of Grade’s work on his website or Instagram page.
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