Vasco Luz for the Jiu Xian Garden Village project in China

"One of these days, while walking through one of the valleys surrounding JiuXian, I came across a root. At first sight, I was drawn to the way it stood out against the grass. In a contemplative state, I observed it, and without delay, it took hold of my thoughts. The seed was sown for the development of my work and its subsequent mark on this space that has already provided me with such grand sensations. I immediately felt certain that something emerging from this place would influence me in gaining clarity. I was sure that my work would be closely related to the space, and that it would be on a level similar to my vision of any artistic intervention in such a magnificent setting. I felt completely defined and calmly accepted this fact."

Vasco Luz
Wood Designer

"Root"

Suddenly, and because I always knew it, any preconceived ideas about how to approach this intervention were set aside. It does not seem, and has never seemed, reasonable to try to project a work twelve thousand kilometers away from the top of a noisy and polluted city. As I had thought, the space took charge of guiding me toward what it itself would like to achieve, for its own benefit, with my help. I always have a more practical side than a theoretical one when it comes to executing and considering any piece. In this case, I believe both situations are equally important. The execution of the piece serves the purpose of its nature, and its definition requires this material construction so that it can exist and be understood.

The root becomes the sustainable base of life itself. It hides to provide the necessary security to those who depend on it. It remains invisible and conceals its varied forms. Incredible unrevealed moments live beneath our feet. The tree is the spectrum of its roots. It is the world turned inside out where a necessary darkness prevails. The root awaits light so that it can offer the most attentive eyes a perfect understanding of this already initiated state. We are part of a cycle in which we are included and upon which we depend. It exists before we can comprehend it.

The reproduction of the emotional and reflective effect regarding what lies beyond our reach is the idea of this work. We are neither beginning nor end. We are the realization of what sustains us. We are, in one way or another, limited by our roots, dependent on their structure for us to evolve. I am completely fascinated by how nature imposes its characteristics on us. We cannot determine its behavior or escape this condition. What we do know is that there are defined relationships, and their manifestations reveal and implement the most fantastic observations. The root is oriented by its goal, perfectly established and necessarily effective in its purposes.

As chosen materials for the development of the work, wood, iron, and earth or clay form its strong core, dependent on atmospheric conditions that will certainly influence it. The bulk of the work is wood, a material with which I most identify and have a special relationship. In a spiral, continuous, and intertwined effect, the piece comes to life with the chosen direction of its extremities. In attempting to recreate the discovered element, the work may be mistaken for any other being or object, a perception that will pass through the imagination of the observer. Iron is present as a hidden element and as reinforcement of the various joints that make up the work. It is also present in its natural environment. Earth, which infiltrates the exposed cavities, proves to be the most flexible and adapted element. It finds its own means for development. The piece is not defined by its construction terminus; it remains serene and perfectly oriented to continue growing.

After much thought about the form I want to give to this work, I come to the most obvious conclusion, that is, just like a root in its natural environment which does not have a defined line of progression and, due to all the elements it encounters and all the adversities it must overcome, has to mold itself to exist, so will my work be developed. Its final design is an extension of its will. Its curves will adapt to the moment of its creation.

about Vasco Luz

Vasco Luz, born in 1980, is an artist/craftsman who graduated from the Fundação Ricardo Espírito Santo Silva and who gave an early start in the experience of other universes by applying his technique in artistic sculpture.
The smoothness of his cutting transports us to an organic depth directly connected to nature, where he reveals the capability to evidence his works at the same time it becomes part of its surroundings.