...........Bruce Gernand
...........Star and Cloud
Star and Cloud, both of the heavens, both formed by gasses and moisture yet visually different, are brought together in this sculpture. A star becomes substantial after time, whereas a cloud remains insubstantial, dissolving and ever changing. A cloud is within reach, a star so distant that we should never gain it in a thousand lifetimes. In this simple alignment Bruce Gernand has achieved a marriage of opposites. The star and cloud forms are separate yet they combine in the universe of this sculpture, wrapping and interlocking - and where space exists, our eye participates to fill the gap. Gernand realised this complex imagery with the aid of a computer, as the layered quality of the sculpture suggests. This is a lyrical, romantic sculpture realised in a light metal. As Bruce Gernand observed in the catalogue for his exhibition at the end of his time as Henry Moore Fellow at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, 'Large bronze sculptures tend to be read as a mass, giving an undeniable impression of solidity... 'Aluminium on the other hand is both light and strong, and on a large scale such as this is not overwhelming in its presence. In Star and Cloud Gernand has achieved mass, but with the indication of lightness. Since his earlier, abstract pieces which were on a human scale that could be enveloped in the arms, he has now taken his work in a direction that requires a different interaction from us. The lightness and volume remain, but the scale is massive.
Gernand's earlier imagery represented a kind of vulnerability, but this is not the case with Star and Cloud. The contrast between the sharp lines of the star and the soft, enveloping cloud is underlined where they almost connect, just as day merges into night and night into day. In this sculpture elements which are distant yet familiar combine and contrast poetically and mysteriously.
The Cass Sculpture Foundation
Goodwood Chichester West Sussex UK
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