Ignorance moves man to try to "Control" Nature. This trait is shown by the Gear Shaft piercing the stone. The Stone is forced to turn with the Gear Shaft's rotation. However, someday the Stone will be freed from this Control. In fact, the Gear Shaft will someday be contained and encased within the ground.
The stone is of the same type used in the entire "Man's Nature" series. Several fossilized shells are evident. The vertical hole through which the Gear passes is naturally-occuring in this ancient piece of coral.
The Steel Frame was forged and welded as a unit. Similar to "Possess - 1", a coarse texture was applied to the frame with a torch. (Not only is this a VERY tedious process, it is also somewhat dangerous! If great care is not excercised, the heat from the torch can cause the stone to literally explode!) In this case, though, the texture was softened with a fine-grit grinder. The three "Traits" were engraved into their respective legs. Then the Title and Copyright were engraved into the "Ignorance" leg. Finally, the steel Frame and the Gear Shaft were sandblasted, tempered with the torch and given an oil finish.
(The images below show the piece as it is progressively turned clockwise as viewed from above.)
* All Titles (eg "Man's Nature", "Possess 1", "Display 1", "Control 1" and others) and all images are copyrighted by J.P. Pendergrass and cannot be used without my expressed permission.
