Artists: Michael Stelzer x Becky White

Project Statement: This collaborative Functional Art Sculpture combines two extreme contrasting materials: rigid iron and delicate silk. The visual juxtaposition of the two belie their commonality, as they both possess remarkably high and comparable tensile strength. Entirely hand fabricated from locally sourced reclaimed metals plus organic patterns in silk printed from Ozarks harvested flora. This unique dying technique transfers the pigment of the flora directly to the silk, creating a dramatic organic diffusion of interior light. The cobblestone shapes in steel and the patterns in silk are drawn from nature. The tri-pod base is designed to rest firmly on any surface with a triangular body allowing it to set flush against a wall or provide a 360 degree experience when set away from a wall. This 100+ hour collaborative effort between a Blacksmith Sculptor and a Fiber/Encaustic Artist was passion-driven with the goal of providing a timeless, one-of-a-kind functional art experience.