March 6th - April 15th, 2009

Cross MacKenzie is pleased to present “Microworlds”,  an exhibition of ceramic sculpture by Neil Forrest paired with photographs by Norman Barker & Giraud Foster.  These artists explore worlds unseen by the naked eye and through their inventiveness and original techniques create intricate and beautiful representations and interpretations of these invisible realms.

Neil Forrest studies cellular organization in nature as a platform for his architectonic sculptural installations.  The artist is interested in the skeletal construction of organic systems and he engineers sculptural forms in clay inspired by that study.  This is no easy feat.  The technique he has developed allows him to overcome the challenge of the inherent flaccidity of his unfired porcelain and stoneware during the building process.  In “Coral”, Forrest achieves a complex matrix that relates to the systematic growth of reefs.  By using suspension lines and connecting devices, the artist extends the reach of his ceramics, making colonies with long chains of connected sections.

Norman Barker is a scientist at John’s Hopkin’s University.  He and his colleague, fellow scientist Dr. Giraud Foster,  developed an innovative high - magnification photographic technique which allows them to photograph extreme “close-ups” of  fossil sections. The surprising revelations of the architectural structure of coral, the geometric pattern of the bark of a moss tree, or the sponge like mass of a Jurassic dinosaur bone are exposed in these stunning photographs. The symmetry and astonishing order of these fossilized sections elicits a sense of reassurance in the perfect order of the world - their beauty proven timeless.   In the forward of their book “Ancient Microworlds”, Francis M. Hueber, Curator in Paleobotany at the Smithsonian says, “On film, they have captured the wondrous images they have encountered, presenting their exquisite photographs as stimulants for our own imaginations.” 

In this exhibition, we present the synergy between these artist’s inspired visual expressions of the “Microworld”.