The Extended Shadow

Location

Country: France
City: Paris
Place: British Embassy

"The Extended Shadow" stands in the garden of the official residence of the British Ambassador in Paris. The four-metre high column consists of a stack of cast-lead heptagons, each twisted slightly to give the impression of a spiral. The number 7 (symbolised by the heptagon) is considered sacred in many traditions. Houshiary here emphasises the number symbolism by "squaring" the heptagon, repeating it forty-nine times in its vertical dimension until a full circle has been completed. As the stack appears to twist, seven gold lines emerge, produced from the under and upper sides of the heptagons.

Shirazeh Houshiary was born in Shiraz, Iran. She studied at Chelsea School of Art between 1976 and 1979 and then for a year was junior fellow at the Cardiff College of Art. Her first solo exhibition was held at the Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, in 1980, since when she has exhibited regularly in solo and mixed exhibitions in Britain, Europe and America. Her sculpture is rooted in the mysticism of Islamic culture, in particular the poetic element of Sufism, but demonstrates a quest beyond cultural limitations. Treading as she does the path between poetry and the material world, Houshiary achieves an energy in her work which assumes inner light and outer strength.

Places

Subjects

spiral, abstract, allegory & symbolism, tower

Materials & Techniques

gold leaf, lead, sculpture (as object name)

Artist

Shirazeh Houshiary (1955 - )

Title

The Extended Shadow

Date

1994

Medium

Lead and gold leaf

Dimensions

height: 400.00 cm, width: 100.00 cm, depth: 100.00 cm

Acquisition

Purchased from Lisson Gallery, March 1998

Provenance

Lisson Gallery, London

GAC number

17315