Chrysalid

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Chrysalid, 2019Carbon fibre, epoxy, metals, precision bearings10,800 x 9,200mm Imagine a world where the trees and plants have evolved into something that is partly natural, partly something else - robotic or artificial. Chrysalid takes its name from the science fiction novel, The Chrysalids, by British writer John Wyndham (1955). The novel is set in a post-apocalyptic world where eugenics is practised and humans, animals and plants with even minor mutations are banished. The grand scale of this elegant sculpture on the trail standing 10.8 metres high on the hill and the tendrils that move in the wind stretch to 9.2 metres across, can also be glimpsed from across the Brick Bay farm and from the top of the vineyards. The arms stretched up resemble a far away palace or castle top from a fantasy movie or Seuss-like trees from the Lorax. Phil Price's works reference the natural world, flowers and organic structures, while also embracing the skill of engineering and design to create sleek abstract sculpture. The kinetic element of the work is achieved through highly skilled engineering, using carbon fibre composite to create a seamless synergy between form and motion. Price made two of these pieces, one with a silver finish that was gifted to La Trobe University in Melbourne in 2017, while our piece at Brick Bay, has a unique finish - delicate pinks, through to blue and violets, mauves moving into blues in homage to the hues of the hydrangea bloom. Chrysalid is sited in the landscape now, with the surrounding trees in a perfect spot to catch the wind that moves through the valley, propelling her delicate arms to move and dance. Show more