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Piccolo Labyrinth | A Natural State - Episode 1

Kaltura

Herb Parker's Piccolo Labyrinth, a nature-based sculpture of grass, sod and steel rebar, created a temporary, "quiet, contemplative space" on Charleston's waterfront. As an installation, the sculpture took aesthetic cues and inspiration from the area's architecture and busy public park. As an ephemeral work, the labyrinth's turf structure underwent a subtle transformation from living, growing, and green, to brown, dry and dead. As experiential art, the labyrinth's veiled passageways of intermittent light and shade insisted on a journey to its center and eventual return to the park outside.

More in this Series

Natural State / Coastal Zone | A Natural State / Herb Parker

 Piccolo Labyrinth 2

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Piccolo Labyrinth
Episode 2
Piccolo Labyrinth required two weeks of construction under a hot sun and the constant gaze of curious onlookers. Parker and his team of volunteers and students cut thousands of turf squares, stacking...
 Touch the Earth  | A Natural State 3

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Touch the Earth | A Natural State
Episode 3
Herb Parker describes his work as belonging to three distinct realms: architecture, sculpture, and landscape. Passageways, thresholds, oculi, seating areas, and planned spaces of light and shade...
 Touch the Earth 4

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Touch the Earth
Episode 4
Extended ephemeral work lasts for several years while encouraging the artist and viewer to revisit the sculpture throughout its life cycle. Parker describes ephemeral elements of his work in the...
 Touch the Earth 5

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Touch the Earth
Episode 5
Crucible was one of the first installations in Clemson University's Nature-Based Sculpture Program. After ten years of exposure to rain, snow and pedestrian interaction, Herb Parker began a project of...
 Touch the Earth 6

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Touch the Earth
Episode 6
Exterior revisions to Crucible involved adding a sturdy, stacked stone layer to its dome and a covering of native plants such as ebony spleenwort and sheet moss. The following video features Clemson...