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Neva L. Wuerful - Imminent Incineration
Category: Sculpture.
Imminent Incineration is a freestanding, lighted sculpture. The phoenix foundation is heavy gauge wire wrapped in aluminum foil, then covered with polymer clay. The eyes are lampwork glass. The body is covered with peyote/gourd stitch, with surface embellishment. Varying lengths of fringe shapes the wings and tail.
The display stand supports the beadwork physically, visually, and thematically. Quarter inch copper refrigerator tubing is formed by hand to suggest a nest swirling in flames. Chandelier wire represents the nesting material and binds a holiday light strand, which illuminates the phoenix.
The phoenix is not permanently attached to the display stand. A rod inserted at the bird’s base slips into the end of the copper tubing. This technique gives the phoenix the appearance of hovering.
A legendary bird of ancient Grecian and Egyptian mythology, the phoenix is a metaphor of resurrection and rebirth. One bird exists in the world for 500 years, then prepares its own funeral pyre in the form of a nest. The nest is engulfed in flames and the bird perishes. A new phoenix emerges from the ashes to repeat the cycle of life.