Making Something Possible Out of the Impossible

[Walter Devereux (1539–1576), First Earl of Essex

British Painter, dated 1572, Oil on wood, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.]

[Ralph Lauren ads. Dress at right is from the Spring 2011 Collection.]

[Both works above by sculptor Elizabeth Turk. At left, Ribbon #18 (detail) and at right, Collar # 13.

Images via Lux Art Institute.]

[Work in Progress, Collar #9 by Elizabeth Turk, 2004. Image via The Mint Museum.]

Many thanks to Craig Hanson for sharing with me the list of 2010 MacArthur Fellows. Among the recipients is sculptor Elizabeth Turk, a woman known for transforming heavy marble into pieces that feel airy and, as described by the MacArthur Foundation, "textile-like."

 [Elizabeth Turk, Still from Huntington Pier DVD (Desert #2) 2003. Image via The Mint Museum.]

Turk's inspiration has come from the highly detailed collars associated with Elizabethan fashion, intricate lace, and patterns seen in the natural world. While completing a residency in Charlotte, NC, Turk studied the Mint Museum of Art's historic lace collection, making numerous drawings that served as a jumping off point for her series of sculptures, The Collars. And more recently she created a series of improbably fluid marble ribbons.

See more here, here and here. There is also a video here. For a look at her drawings, click here and scroll down.

Update 9.30.2010

Couldn't resist one more juxtaposition. The lace top is from Marc by Marc Jacobs via Shopbop and the sweater is by Catherine Malandrino. Turk's sculpture is via the Mint Museum from the past exhibition, The Collars: Tracings of Thought.