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The Indian Ocean tsunami of December, 26, 2004, shocked the world. Over 240,000 people from 12 nations lost their lives. The northwest tip of Sumatra, the sixth largest island in the world, was destroyed. Images of these giant ocean waves and their horrifying effects have altered how we look at the fragile balance between harmony in nature and total chaos. The paradox of the tsunami, as an instrument of destruction and a form of natural beauty, challenged me to create sculpture reconciling water's capacity for devastation with its inherent fluid grace.
Conveying my emotional reaction to the tsunami in motionless form has been both complex and rewarding. I have explored the wave's roiling circularity, and its interior and exterior space. I have imagined being trapped within and tossed about in its relentlessly surging vortex. I have tried to imbue the forms with forward-thrusting movement, as well as a minimalist sense of transcendental perfection. My hope is to be able to produce TSUNAMI sculptures for installation in museums and sculpture parks around the world.
Cornelia Kubler Kavanagh
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