To One End

Rachel David created this piece as a response to Albert Paley’s Portal Gates, which were commissioned for the Renwick Gallery’s gift shop in 1974. David imagines her bench as another kind of portal, carrying the sitter to a dreamlike realm of expanded possibility amid mountains with perpetual cold-water streams. Mysterious wing motifs and gem adornments invite visitors to gather, reflect, and discover hidden truths.

Through metalwork pieces like this one, David aims to promote conversations about issues such as environmental degradation and systemic prejudice. Her forms—at once rigid and sensual—challenge expectations and social systems, including the traditionally male-dominated field of blacksmithing. David is also a community activist and one of the founding members of the Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths, which supports equity, diversity, and inclusion in the field.