Nurielle Stern

CERAMIC SCULPTURE & INSTALLATION ARTIST
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Cambium and I Remember Water

hollow tree series, Nurielle Stern

Cambium, Nurielle Stern  I remember water, Nurielle Stern

 

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I Remember Water and Cambium
Summer 2014
Glazed ceramic with internal video projection on sanded mirror, plinths.

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From the Hollow Tree Series: Each of these glazed ceramic hollow trees contains a video projector, which causes them to glow faintly, inviting viewers to move in closer and revealing what looks like a pool of water inside each tree.  


These works explore the themes of reflection, reversals, and the storied pool of water.


“Cambium” titled after the living inner-lining of tree-bark, contains a projected image of bare feet among quivering blue flowers. While viewing “Cambium”, you could almost imagine that you are standing barefoot at night-time on the forest floor.


In “I Remember Water”, a reflection gives way to reveal what appears to be the surface of a pool of water viewed from beneath. Small blossoms drift by, goats drink, the sun peeks out from behind the trees. The sky, a water blue, flickers while clouds meld into the mottled mirrored surface.


The surface of the water is at once a lens and a flexible membrane separating us from the upside down world on the other side. It’s a thin film and a fragile barrier. A drop of water falls creating ripples, a disruption in our assumed distance and we suddenly feel we can reach through it and touch the air on the other side. As we lean towards the pool, the goats lean toward us to drink—they barely move their lips or break the surface. Empathy is created by our mirrored actions in this face-to-face encounter.