BRN 9-3 - Flipbook - Page 3
How We Relate: To the Yucca and
Agave
In past issues we have explored that interface between
humanity and the rest of nature, how we perceive the rest of
the natural world. Not in the sense of how well our sensory
systems function, but rather what we see in our mindÕs eye.
Examples include Gordon BermanÕs photo essay in BRN 7-4,
the video of Melody SearsÕ work - Pastel Paintings of the
Southwest, and the video of Jim LaupanÕs work - Making
Rattlesnakes. Seeing nature in Òother waysÓ extends the
bounds of our sensory systems and can enhance our
appreciation of the natural world.
Here are a few examples of what Bob Shipley, formerly of
Kingston, now of Albuquerque, saw when the rest of us saw
bits of yucca and agave. Whimsical art to handcrafted utility,
Bob excels in using yucca as a medium. He noted. ÒEven the
Þnial of the lamp is yucca with all the pieces hand cut and
sanded by hand. Dimmable strip LEDs provide the light.Ó
Cooking tongs, a walking stick, and crutches - all pictured on
the next page - emphasize the range of possibilities, as Bob
Shipley sees yucca.
The crutches, in particular, presented technical as well as
artistic challenges. Yucca is very strong in compression but
lateral tension is something else. Yet the crutches require a
Snake by Bob Shipley of Albuquerque, formerly of Kingston.
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