Continuity
Materials: palm fruiting stalk, lawyer vine, Canson papers, inks
Technique: basketry, calligraphy
Size: 55 cm diameter x 20cm
Description: The fruiting body plays a pivotal role in the life cycle of the palm tree. It protects the seeds until they are fully developed, and once this nurturing role is complete, it then falls to the ground, and, in its disintegration, provides nutrients for the next generation. Thus it is a powerful metaphor for the cycle of life continual regeneration, in which the death or transformation of one element is always essential for the continued existence of the whole.
Throughout history, and in most cultures, the circle epitomises unity, continuity and perfection. Wreaths can commemorate the past, as well as indicate renewed hope for the future.
So a circular wreath seemed a particularly appropriate structure to symbolise the duality of life and death and the growth and decay of the fruiting body in the continuous cycle of life.