Eversley speaks of energy, space, time, and matter – concepts familiar to physicists and mathematicians and to an electrical engineer who gave up a career in the space program to make sculpture. The disc form of this untitled work is the result of the centrifugal process. Its highly polished surface concentrates ambient light in a bright central orb that shines like a distant star in the emptiness of space and draws the viewer into a cosmic place. But the parabolic shape also acts like a lens that captures light and the reflections of objects around it into a miniature black universe that dramatically alters relationships in the surrounding space.
African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, 2012
African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, 2012
Frederick Eversley’s pieces evoke mirrors or large optical lenses. He uses a process that involves spinning liquid plastic around a vertical axis until the centrifugal forces create a concave surface. Many of Eversley’s sculptures incorporate parabolic curves. These curves are found in a range of natural and man-made forms including suspension bridges, wind-blown sand dunes, and microwave reflectors, and Eversley is fascinated by their ability to concentrate and reflect energy into a single point.
“[The sculptures] act as … parabolic mirrors or reflectors which capture and focus … light energy onto an imaginary plane or point which appears to be suspended in space.” Artist’s statement, 1978
- Title
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Untitled
- Artist
- Date
- 1974
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 19 5⁄8 diam. x 6 1⁄2 in. (49.7 diam. x 16.6 cm.)
- Credit Line
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Smithsonian American Art Museum
Museum purchase
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- polyester resin/cast
- Classifications
- Highlights
- Keywords
-
- Abstract
- Object Number
-
1983.82
- Palette
- Linked Open Data
- Linked Open Data URI