Ephemera

In the pages that follow, you will find the correspondence, budgets, readings, and research documents made in the process of developing Carried on Both Sides with Helen Lee, Alexander Rosenberg, and Lika Volkova. Enormous glass levels are pulled by gravity over wooden knobs. A deflated object is plugged into a box the size of a ceiling tile, always charging. An hourglass never runs out of time.

Enormous glass levels are pulled by gravity over wooden knobs. A deflated object is plugged into a box the size of a ceiling tile, always charging. An hourglass never runs out of time.

Water clocks (also called clepsydrae) work like this: one large vessel is made, and filled with water. On the water’s surface, a smaller vessel is placed. The smaller vessel is made with a small hole at the bottom that allows the water to flow in. One interval has passed when the bowl sinks to the bottom of the larger bowl. The top of the Column features a “blow mold,” a wooden form which is used by glassblowers to replicate forms quickly and are never shown with the final work in glass. Here, the mold has been carved on the outside as well as the inside, becoming a sculpture that reflects its own conditions of production. Alexander Rosenberg and Helen Lee used the mold to create the glass amphora on view in the installation.

The glass edition of Countermeasures: Water Clock was made possible by a residency at Pilchuck with gaffers Jason Christian and Daryl Smith and assistants Emily McBride and Phoebe Stubbs, and the Column was made in collaboration with Helen Lee and Alexander Rosenberg, with support from John Hallett, who carved the blow mold.

Woolard has selected ephemera that serves as visual reference points for Carried on Both Sides. All materials here are reproduced with the consent of collaborators.

fig. 8-11 Technical drawing for Countermeasures: Water Clock and Countermeasures: Level.