She Got to Build the Universe

I visited the extraordinary installation "Divining Nature" on the last day of its exhibition at the Greater Reston Arts Center, in Reston, Virginia. I was not expecting to find there the artist, Rebecca Kamen, who is a cherished friend, so having the chance to talk with Rebecca about her sculpture, which honors the periodic table, was a treat.

Here is a short video in which Rebecca describes how she got to build the universe that her installation represents:






Jane Franklin of Jane Franklin Dance choreographed a modern dance piece that was performed around and within the artwork on October 21 before a delighted audience. Here are excerpts from the dance:






Now that the exhibition has come down, Rebecca has placed "Divining Nature" in storage. The installation deserves to be seen. It deserves a caretaker.

Two places where "Divining Nature" would be at home are The Institute for the Study of Health and Illness at Commonweal, in Bolinas, California; and the Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts, which maintains a beautiful residential retreat in the Maryland countryside. In either location, the installation could be used in the treatment of and support for cancer patients and their families as a healing tool at once profoundly contemplative and restorative.

Another possible location, if space is available, might be the new building housing the Media Lab at MIT. The Media Lab is engaged in novel research and innovations that bring artistic, technological, and scientific insights to bear in medicine and other fields.

If you have ideas for a permanent home for "Divining Nature", please leave a note in the Comments section of this post. I'll be sure Rebecca gets it.


Also, please note: Rebecca will duplicate individual elements on commission in limited editions of three. Depending on its size, an element can be designed to hang on a wall. Prices range from $100 to $1,800 per element.