Dusavitskiy, Gleb

GLEB DUSAVITSKIY

Højer, Denmark

Sculpture, object art

www.glebos.com

Workshop Space: kubaai / Spinnerei

Title: Through the Times

Wooden sculpture

“Wood sculpture sawn from a tree trunk with a chain saw! I would like to make an abstract wooden sculpture representing 800 years of the city of Bocholt. 800 years full of stories. 800 years of beginnings and endings. 800 years of life.” With these words, Danish artist Gleb Dusavitskiy presented his project idea, which he intended to create with two saws, one electric and one petrol-powered.

In order to realize his wooden sculpture, he asked if the city of Bocholt could provide a tree trunk. That was possible: a huge, venerable beech tree (the beech tree is the coat of arms of the city of Bocholt) had to be felled because it was no longer safe for traffic. A 4-metre-long piece (with a diameter of 1.20 metres and a weight of 4500 kilograms!) was cut from the beech and transported to the artist’s workshop site: the KUBAAI grounds behind the Spinnerei. Gleb Dusavitskiy was more than surprised about the size of the tree trunk when he arrived, for originally he had mentioned the dimensions 210 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm.

With the help of the Municipal Parks Department, the trunk was shortened so that Gleb Dusavitskiy could get started with days of sawing and polishing. Just before the sculpture was finished and could be brought into an upright position with the help of the Bocholt fire brigade, the chainsaw blade hit an ingrown nail in the centre of the trunk! “A piece of Bocholt history.” As the artist aptly said: “The line of the town’s history is reflected in the lines and shapes of the artwork with ups and downs and dynamic flow. 800 years full of stories – that is my artwork.” The dimensions of the finished and fine sculpture are 270 cm x 100 cm x 100 cm.