Elementary, My Dear: Wind, Water, Fire, Earth
August 5-9, 2024

ThemeExplore wind, water, fire, and earth through sculpture making! These four elements envelop humans everyday: the soil under our feet, the air that fills our lungs, the water that quenches our thirst, and the sun that warms our skin. Explore individual elements in-depth or alchemically combine them to generate effects large and small to explore their impacts on humans, other animals, and plants.

ProjectCampers will design and construct depictions of the essential elements – highlighting individual characteristics or demonstrating their power when combined! When air and earth unite, dust storms may pick up dirt and debris on their trajectory. Can campers engineer structures to withstand powerful winds and minimize damage to people and places? Might campers devise plans to harness a storm’s energy – or maybe even bottle it up and save it for later?

Inspired by Park sculptures that use wind, water, fire, and earth in their creation or presentation. Wind sets the floating vertical blades of George Rickey’s Three Lines sculpture in motion. Fire transformed the metal alloy of copper and tin into molten bronze to cast Richard Rosenblum’s Venusvine. Earth provides both porcelain and concrete elements to Arlene Shechet’s multimedia Tall Feather. Water trickles down from arches and flows through small pools in Ron Rudnicki’s Rain Gates made from granite formed by icy glaciers long ago. 

Note that open flames will not be used and are not permitted on deCordova’s campus.