Spiral

This collaboration features Sarasota artist Pamela Olin and Sarasota poet Donald McLagan.

Pamela’s statement: Spiral Reflections, for me, is about sharing perspectives and what they can show us (or hide from us). This is part of a series using cast resin squares in multiples of 25. 

When I was envisioning this piece, my thoughts really were looking at the spiral as a universal symbol, something found in every culture around the world. Whether found carved on a cave wall, an ancient walking path for meditation, the DNA that makes us all or fractals that are found in every living thing, spirals are all around us.

I so appreciate the idea of placing art in places where it might be a little unexpected, where people hadn’t had the chance before to find themselves in front of something that was there purely to be enjoyed. My hope is that our collaboration brings people fresh perspectives and the chance to get out of their own head to enjoy the world around them.

Donald’s statement: The poem begins with the physical cues of Pamela’s art piece and then explores why it is so difficult to convey meaning accurately.  The physics of conversation is a transmission of breath pulses through the air, like the separate stones swirling out from the emerald core. The words are interpreted through the use of shared language, just as the stones encircle the receiving amber core in a familiar way. The AICP process itself is one of conversation. What interests me; what interests you; what might we make of it together?  For Pamela and me, what interests us is the external representation of interior elements not otherwise perceived. We have come to name that process “interiority.” 

Working together artistically is an intimate process – who are you really, what makes you that person, how does your artwork express the real you? All this requires trust, empathy and patience. When it happens, it’s magic, real conversation. This doesn’t happen in the first meeting. It doesn’t end when the project is published. Our hope is that some of that magic can spring poster-to-viewer, in daily Sarasota places.

I want my poems to evoke, provoke, prick, tickle, hug.