Dorothea Nold

The movement of an earth quake may linger in the body to resurface one day in a group of skeleton buildings on the verge of crumbling. Or are they dancing? For years, artist Dorothea Nold researched our physical relation to the architectural environment, but in the work she made at EKWC, the buildings become bodies themselves. Inspired by Sicily’s exuberant botany and rich architecture, several sculptures blur the line between growth and construction, with leaves sprouting from the arcs and columns that rise up to the sky. After the first building collapsed in the kiln, Nold decided to allow an element of chance and decay. As she was building new pieces, she refrained from reinforcing them even when she knew there were weak spots. After firing, all the works were deformed and leaning over, but they were still standing, as a testimony to both human vulnerability and resilience.