Celestial Fish

Steel, transmission parts. 2017.

This piece is the culmination of fish sculptures I have been working on in a more modest size for over a decade. Over the years I have explored the shape of fish in all their myriad and fascinating forms, and finally felt confident enough to undertake the ultimate fish in this monumental scale. No pun intended.

Made up of over 500 pounds of welded automobile transmission parts, Celestial Fish stands elegantly on three fins. It took over 30 days to create the fish with the aid of several assistants, a MIG welder, plasma cutter, and an overhead hoist. The swirling patterns in the head, fins and tail were done by hand with an angle grinder. The eyes are a carefully selected assemblage of transmission gears. The tail fin is swept to one side as if captured in a swimming motion.

The circular spots on the sides are made from an eclectic combination of gears, pulleys, rings, and car parts. These cosmic spots represent the planets of our solar system. If you look closely you can find ones that resemble Saturn, Mars, Earth, and the largest one, the Sun.

With the sunlight shining through the sculpture from behind, the field of small perforations that make up the body of the fish are illuminated and twinkle like stars. These astronomical images of the planets and stars were the inspiration for the name Celestial Fish.