Magic Broom Series





'Teardrop of Earth's Memory' Cast Iron, Volcanic Rock, New Mexico. 2003

Magically, a broom is a wand. In dreams, brooms and brushes can have a similar meaning in that they clear a spiritual space of negativity in preparation for changes to be made. The idea of clearing or cleansing is as important on a psychological level as it is on the spiritual.

'Katrina Broom' Cast Iron, New Orleans 2001

I became fascinated with the common broom when working late in my studio one night. It was a full moon and the broom just leaning there in the corner took on a metaphysical presence. This led to the investigation of taking an ordinary object through the transformative process of casting in metal. I am investigating what it is that imbues an inanimate object with a hidden presence. Iron, copper and aluminum all have their own associations to magic as well, each cast broom tells a story and holds a memory.

'Stick Broom' Cast Iron

'Lassoing the Moon' Cast Aluminum

'Rapunzel' Cast Iron, Santa Fe 2006

'Brush Broom' Cast Iron, Museum of Steel Sculpture, UK 2005

'Urigeller' Cast Iron, Minneapolis 2001 

'Chinese Broom' Cast Copper, New Mexico 2007

'Chinese Broom with Seed' Cast Copper, New Mexico 2007

 



'Wand' Cast Iron and Copper, 2009



'Knotted Wand' Cast Iron, 2009







 

'Magic Broom Series' : 2001 - Present

Flowers of Elysium : Berlin Novilla

Berlin Elysium at Novilla

Elysium is a concept of the afterlife that developed over time and was maintained by some Greek religious and philosophical sects and cults. Initially admission was reserved for mortals related to the gods and other heroes. Later, it expanded to include those chosen by the gods, the righteous, and the heroic, where they would remain after death, to live a blessed and happy life.  Dreams of Elysium live for a brief moment.

NOVILLA is a center for art, creativity and encounter : it is a project of Moving Poets Berlin at the Hasselwerder Villa in Berlin Schoneweide on the bankl of the River Spree. The Hasselwerder Villa was built around 1907 for Richard and Elsbeth Lehmann. After expropriation and the murder of the Lehmann Family in 1942, the villa was the Health Department of the National Socialists and then After World Wa II until 1989 it was predominantly Wehrkreiskommando of the National Peoples Army.

  

‘Flowers of Elysium’  by Coral Penelope Lambert

The ‘Flowers of Elysium; are based on rare and endangered Ghost Orchids. Images of Ghost Orchids were scanned via photogrammetry so that the patterns for the molds could be carved digitally on a CNC machine. Using the ritual act of an iron pour with furnace, fire, air and molten iron they have been breathed back into existence for a brief spell. Glowing red hot with fierce intensity they are raised up and planted in the earth, they have weight and permanence; they are magma held up on beautiful handmade stainless steel stems, like Agni would have. Once cooled there remains an artifact that appears prehistoric. The flowers show a combination of the controlled digital mark created by the computer and the wild marks left by fire and molten metal.

Special Thanks to MoBe, Berlin and Glaser Schlosserei, Basel

https://movingpoets.org/concrete5/index.php/novilla

http://www.glaser-schlosserei.ch/kunst/

Volcano Furnace Earthwork ITALY

Fire Iron Earthwork at Spoeri Sculpture Park in Italy will be a variation of the 'Volcano Furance' in Pedvale Sculpture Park in Latvia. We will be building a new furnace 'Lady C' built in collaboration with Blacksmith Andreas Glaser in Basel Switzerland for the Earthwork. The Fire Iron Earthwork was operated for the annual opening of the Sculpture Park over Easter 2015 accompanied with a unique sound work by Paul Higham and the 'Flight of the Phoenix' performance by Cynthia Handel, Jenny Hager and Suzanne Roewer. 

 

 Whilst in Latvia the Volcano Furnace Earthwork was scanned on location to create a 3d model. Printed in 400 abs plastic.

 

Spoerri Sculpture Garden

'HayBarrels : After Monet'

'HayBarrels: After Monet' an ongoing series of work.

 

Growing up in urban London and attending Central School of Art, Lambert would frequent the National Museum where there are several of Claude Monets ‘Haystack’ paintings in the collection. She would study and stand in front of them slightly mesmerized, as they still seemed to be constantly changing in the light even though she knew she was looking at a static object. To her they manifest a magical effervescence which is an element she strives to capture in  her own work.

      

Now living in rural New York the pastoral scene returned to her in a much different context, especially in the fall driving through the surrounding farmlands. Although hay bales remain a romantic symbol of pastoralism and agrarian life this work references issues such as oil in the soil and storage of toxic waste in the landscape. 

'HayBarrels' as seen at Saratoga Train Station as part of Saratoga Springs Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition

 

Lambert's interest is in our relationship of how things exists, where things come from and the human obsession with speeding up the work of nature to make things better and faster. She uses the iconic 55 gal drum as a component of  ‘HayBarrels : After Monet’ , the very same drum that is used to dispose of toxic waste.

Single 'HayBarrel: After Monet'

   

For the pastoral element she obtained a large round haybale from a local farmer and kept it in the studio over a period of several weeks taking molds as the haybale deteriorated. Deliberately choosing to cast them in Aluminum because this relatively new space age metal does not rust, it glistens. It is a material that will not change in itself, it is also very sensitive to reflecting the light of different times of the day: an ode to Monet.

Detail of Haybale texture in cast aluminum : cast by Coral Lambert at the National Casting Center Foundry, Alfred, NY

Monet would work on several canvas’s at once as at differing times of the day and in various seasons haystacks absorb the light from diverse parts of the color spectrum. As a result, the residual light that is reflected off of the haystacks is seen as ever-changing, and manifests in distinctive coloring.  In ‘HayBarrels’ the silver aluminum acts as a mirror to its environment.

Coral Lambert working on the 'HayBarrels' at Salem Art Works, NY

Molding the Haybale at the National Casting Center Foundry, Alfred, NY

Proposal for 'HayBarrels at StormKing Sculpture Park, New York (digital print)

'HayBarrels' Stacked version (collage)



Looking through the window out onto the Courtyard at Pelham Art Center, NYC

Stacked and Strapped 'Haybarrels: After Monet' 2014
'HayBarells : After Monet' : Six Stack Version as above is permanently installed as part of the Jackson Union Sculpture Trail in Jackson, TN.

The Maquette is on a more domestic scale and gives a cheeky nod to Warhol's soupcans. It is currently on show and available for purchase at FooLPRoof Gallery, Rhino Arts District, Denver.