The Civil Act of Listening

This is my first work for 2018. I am hoping this year will see more dialogue and discussion around the world.

So, I found two highly textured pieces of wood in the desert. After a few rotations of the first piece of wood (and a healthy dose of imagination) I saw a chameleon/turtle like head looking back. What was amazing was the anatomical detail – in addition to the “neck muscles” there seems to be an almost exact depiction of the human sternocleidomastoid muscle! Well, not sure turtles have that muscle, but it does not matter….

There was a bulge on the wood where the eye would be. So I put a bit of yellow oil paint to enhance it. The top of the head needed more prominence, so a couple of quail feathers landed there. Finally, to visually accentuate the turning of the head, a squirrel leg gave the direction of the chameleon’s body posture. Actually, with the "foot" pointing out, the chameleon now has two short (and incomplete) arms and seems to be wearing a roman toge! Truly a debate moment.

The second piece of wood had two large holes and a lot of delicate curves. Almost as if it was a carving, which in fact it is as the blowing sand carves the wood over time.

Now, the chameleon had to be looking at somebody if a dialogue had to take place. So, a squirrel joined the moment poking its head through one of the wood holes. I wrapped the squirrel body around to give yet another illusion of a toge. 

I joined the two pieces of wood to give a tilt to the squirrel’s head.

My hope for 2018 had taken shape.

 January 5, 2018

© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2017