Noted Ballston Spa artist and BSBPA member Mark Blech was awarded a $2,500 Artist Grant from Saratoga Arts to create and install an original cast concrete sculpture, “Homeostasis,” on the Tedisco Nature Trail in Ballston Spa on July 9. In a unique twist, the sculpture is a work in progress, designed to interact with nature. Blech will photograph the sculpture, which is 42 inches high, 28 inches wide and cast in cement, periodically throughout the upcoming months to mark the changes in the work. The photo-documentation of the sculpture’s transformation will be exhibited for public viewing at Brookside Museum. The sculpture will remain a permanent piece of artwork on the trail.
The name of the sculpture, “Homeostasis” also defines the idea behind it. From Britannica.com: “Homeostasis–any self-regulating process by which biological systems tend to maintain stability while adjusting to conditions that are optimal for survival. If homeostasis is successful, life continues; if unsuccessful, disaster or death ensues. The stability attained is actually a dynamic equilibrium, in which continuous change occurs yet relatively uniform conditions prevail.” Blech adds, “This sculpture is a work in progress to show the homeostatic relationship, or finding a balance, between a man-made object (a metaphor for humanity) and its natural surroundings. The growth of moss, plants and insects on the sculpture is a fundamental part of the evolution of this artwork. I’m excited to photograph the change—and share that will the public later in the year.”
Saratoga Arts made this program possible with an Individual Artist Grant funded by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Blech also states: “I would like to thank the village of Ballston Spa, especially the DPW, for helping to make this project happen.”
Mark Blech is also the artist and creator behind this spring’s First Annual Ballston Spa Birdhouse Competition. Over a hundred and forty handmade birdhouses from the community are on display through the Ballston Spa and will remain up through the fall.
Ballston Spa area artists and the public are invited to meet Mark and learn about the $2,500 Artist Grant on Wednesday, July 18, 6:30-7:30 pm at Mark Blech Art Studio, 10 Thompson Street in Ballston Spa. Register at Saratoga Arts: http://www.saratoga-arts.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=1117