These works explore the tenuous relationship of human-designated boundaries with the geologic world. An object, structure, or even a city can be briefly useful before becoming an archaeological artifact. The wife and husband team of Suzanne Dalton, a weaver and artist, and Clyde Foles, an industrial designer and artist, created a series of sculptures based on these ideas.
The materials used in these sculptures include aluminum, lacquered high-density fiberboard, acrylic (all highly processed modern materials), and natural fibers, an ancient material. Aluminum, one of the most common elements present in the soil but difficult to extract, was a precious metal little more than a hundred years ago; the crown jewels of Sweden are set in an aluminum crown. The highly processed materials are assembled with exposed mechanical connections to form a structure that contrasts sharply with the purity of the watercolor and the woven section. With its exposed warp and intense colors, the weaving is the focal point and the bridge that joins disparate materials.
Marble Canyon Construction 24″Wx48″Hx6″D
Artists: Suzanne Dalton & Clyde Foles
Materials: Wood, aluminum, wool, linen, watercolor on paper, acrylic
Exhibitions: 29th Annual Midland Art Council juried exhibit
University of Michigan Hospital Arts Program, Gifts of Art Invitational solo exhibit
Rubiner Art Gallery, 3-D Constructions, group exhibit
Detroit Artist Market
River Bridged – 10’Wx9’Hx.5’D
River Bridged – Construction Suzanne Dalton & Clyde Foles
Dimensions: 10’Wx9’Hx.5’D
Materials: Wood, aluminum, wool, linen, watercolor on paper, acrylic
Commission Award: Commission on Art in Public Places, State of Michigan
Haworth College of Business, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
