Liz Helfer (USA), Steve Coles (UK), & Lu Xu (China) with Christie Carson (NZ) & Nathan Felker (USA)
“Eisenwunderwelt: Objective Permanence”
Cast iron, wood, acrylic, paint
Eisenwunderwelt translates to “Iron Wonder World” inviting contemporary reinterpretation of cabinets of curiosity and their intersection with cast iron. Objective Permanence is a cabinet reinterpretation of things so rare, they are gone; highlighting the stories of disappearing culture, obsolete technology, and extinct animals. Each item has been cast in iron to memorialize how they were once treasured or integral to a way of life. Their obsolescence or extinction can be linked to the rise of iron during the first industrial revolution; iron paved the way for steel processes that changed manufacturing and sped up globalization. This in turn radically changed the way people live and destroyed the habitats of species around the world. Each object is associated with a QR code that links to an audio file.
Liz Helfer Studios is in Waltham, MA, where Liz creates sculptures that address our environmental peril. You can find her permanent public sculptures in MA, NY, NH, and Latvia. Steve Coles is the founder of Coles Castings, a foundry in North Dorset, England, specializing in bespoke cast iron, bronze and aluminum casting for art, design and heritage projects. Lu Xu is originally from Guiyang and is now based in Guizhou, China. Lu has exhibited at Tapir Gallery, Berlin, Southfirst Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, Weatherspoon Museum of Art, NC, Elsewhere Museum, NC, and Franconia Sculpture Park, MN, among others. Two writers contributed their words and voices to the project, Christy Carson of New Zealand and Nathan Felker of the United States.