#23

Dwight Duke

134 Livesey Ln

“I have always been fascinated by fire. Fire’s ability to destroy, permanently alter a landscape, or create new life simultaneously has captivated me since I was a boy. After a violent, destructive fire at my home, I gained a new level of interest in fire’s transformative abilities. Staring at the aftermath, I began to appreciate the charred remains of my home, yard, and vehicle. Of great interest to me were severely scorched garage doors. I removed these doors from the dumpster and hung them on my wall. This simple act transformed them from garbage into an object of art and appreciation, opening a doorway to healing and inspiration. I was captivated and flooded with ideas, energy, and inspiration and began experimenting with this new process.

With this new body of work, I am beginning to explore fire’s destructive capacity in a “controlled” and creative environment. After the process of carefully cutting and laying out the drawing with various fuses, stencils, and gunpowder, the work is carefully covered and weighted with rocks before being lit. It is at this point I have the least amount of control, and the work is transformed from a static, visually cohesive piece to a violent, fiery “event.” This aftermath is what intrigues me, the chaos or perfect order and harmony. This lack of control and unpredictability is a welcome departure from my previous works of carefully choreographed and tightly controlled process of bronze sculpture.”