Christopher Kurtz

Description

Among the Meridian works, Meridian Gothic is the most architectural. Repeated verticals establish a rhythmic field that recalls Gothic ribs, organ pipes, or shafts of light. The branching intersections suspend these parallel lines in delicate tension, allowing the sculpture to feel both skeletal and radiant. It asks a question long shared by architecture and sculpture alike: How can material point beyond itself The series takes its name from meridian lines: pathways of orientation that traverse landscapes, bodies, and celestial systems alike. The works are guided by a spatial principle shared with ballet. In classical training, dancers are taught to "pull up"—to lengthen upward through the spine while pressing downward through the supporting leg. Extension is created by working in two directions at once. Gravity provides the resistance that makes length possible, while countless imperceptible adjustments sustain the body's alignment. In ballet, a line is understood to continue beyond the body itself. Energy is projected through the fingertips, toes, and crown of the head, allowing the viewer's eye to complete the movement into the surrounding space. Dancers are taught not simply to move through space, but to dance the space itself.