Rico Eastman
(American, 1952-2012)
Morphosis, 1999
Assembled steel
100 x 110 x 130 inches
Gift of Vernon E. Faulconer ’61 and Amy Hamamoto Faulconer ’59
Located: South side of Bucksbaum Center for the Arts
Morphosis once stood in the rotunda of the Bucksbaum Center for the Arts, a grand introduction to Faulconer Gallery’s first exhibition, Re-structure, in 1999. Its 16 interlocking steel sheets form a colossal structure in themselves, creating a sense of movement because they weave over, under, and around one another. The sculpture’s ability to stand freely on only a few small surfaces affords it with an unexpected lightness despite the actual weight of the steel assemblage. Morphosis is held together through “friction and gravity, becoming interdependent physically as well as aesthetically” (artist statement).
This sculpture is the fourth work in a series of large sculptures, preceded by Sheet Music (1998), Fugue (1998), and Fugue Variation (1999), which derive from Eastman’s “interest in the structure of classical and contemporary music” (artist statement). Each of Morphosis’ steel sheets relates to a sound or positive element of music, while the negative space of the sculpture relates to the “rest” in which the sound stops, developing the rhythm and uniqueness of a musical composition. When listening to a piece of music, one can focus on the part of the oboe, drum, or any other instrument, searching for the relationships between parts and unlocking the harmony or melodic interactions between these musical voices. Such interaction between listener and performer leads to an appreciation of the whole, while still acknowledging each individual element.
Now located on the south side of Bucksbaum Center for the Arts, Morphosis serves as a new introduction — from the street to campus, from the outdoors to interior space. As a form dedicated to musical imagery, the sculpture harmonizes perfectly with the purpose of a fine arts building — to encourage the collaborative and individual pursuit of creative expression. Like a musical composition, Morphosis can be observed and appreciated for its unity, or the viewer can focus on one separate steel sheet, participating in the movement while unlocking the integrity of a single line.
About the Artist
Rico Eastman received a B.F.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, R. I. (1974), and finished his education at Arizona State University Tempe, where he received an M.F.A. in1985. Eastman once worked as a designer with Bob Moss, inventor of the original pop tent. Once his work was no longer built from fabric and the tension of poles and supports, Eastman’s work explored the nature of structure and the strains of gravity. For much of his career, Eastman lived in the Southwest. His sculptures reside in many private and public collections across the United States, as well as in Hong Kong.
By: Meredith Ibey ’00 and Miriam Stanton ’05, updated 2006