TRANSFORMER

Transformer was built for the Sculpture Symposium Cime et Racines, held at La Gabelle Park near Trois Riviers, Quebec, Canada.  During the site visit to La Gabelle I was instantly inspired by seeing the two abandoned hydro-electric towers at the edge of the escarpment above a hydro dam.  My idea for this project immediately entered my mind and I inquired about the possibility of suspending an inverted tree from the two towers.  The title Transformer means the same in both French and English and compels the work to be read as a critique of hydro Quebec forestry practices and clear-cut strategies when establishing corridors for their lines.  It also references the history of logging and log chutes along the river.  The project could be seen hovering on the escarpment from miles away and often lured visitors from the highway to witness the spectacle.