NINE PINTS | Umusuna

The self balancing and fluid teardrop forms move as an individual and collective body. The group displaces a fluid volume of Nine Pints or 4.25 liters, the average amount of blood in a human body. Inviting a tactile and interactive experience for the viewer, the pieces fit in the palm, and can be moved into different relationships by the viewer. Each holds a resilience centered within it’s deep center of gravity. Umusuna is a Japanese word meaning “the place of ones birth.” Water connects us beyond surface appearance and cultural difference, flowing through all of life and humanity.

I carve each of the pieces individually from a block on a lathe to achieve the fluid teardrop shape. So that they can that be held or moved, yet always return to an upright position, I drill and hollow out a space for an internal lead ballast. Through an opening the molten lead is poured and then sealed with a dowel. The dowel is cut and sanded round to restore the spherical shape.

Cut into the circular ground of the base is an array of inset lines forming a radiant grid. The rays intersect at the center like a sun, as contrasting concentric circles measure outward distances, similar to latitudes and longitudes.