Esther Solondz has been working for several years with a variety of ordinary materials such as salt, water, and rust to create her art. Combined, these materials change and grow in conformance to the conditions of a given piece. Salt mixed with water transforms into crystals, wicks and travels, forms mounds or stalactites. When salt is mixed with iron, rust forms in all its many guises and colors, sometimes eroding other materials, or leaving the accretion of marks behind.
In the “Evolution of Darwin” installation, Solondz renders images of faces using iron filings sandwiched between a two pieces of cotton gauze and placed on concrete elements of outdoor spaces. On top of each image she puts a sculpture made of compressed salt bricks that are in various states of crystallization, growth, and dissolution. Over time the salt will dissolve and the filings will rust and leave an image. How long does the transformation take? That depends on the elements and how long it takes to break down the salt. Salt that covers the iron filings changes form, some of it building up and obscuring the images, some of it dissolving and vanishing. The iron filings rust, creating both an image on the fabric and a residual image on the concrete surface. Even after an outdoor exhibit is “over,” an image remains as a haunting but permanent record of the process.
To understand the chemistry behind the art and to learn about the people who have advanced the field of evolutionary biology, please go to the Art/Science Connection page.
