Symbiotic Parallax


Symbiotic Parallax, 1994
Terrence Karpowicz
In front of the Molecular Biology Building
University of Illinois at Chicago campus
900 South Ashland Avenue near Marshfield Avenue

            Terrence Karpowicz (born 1948) earned his M.F.A. from the University of Illinois and was awarded a Fulbright-Hayes Grant to the United Kingdom in 1975, which allowed him to study and apprentice with the Jim Davies, the sole millwright working for the British government’s Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. Karpowicz has stated that the craftsmanship and techniques associated with watermill and windmill construction have informed his work ever since. This, combined with an abiding interest in minimal forms, has led Karpowicz to create large-scale outdoor public works that play with intersections, both in terms of disparate materials as well as with the surrounding environment.
            Large-scale works in steel such as Symbiotic Parallax, which measures 21 x 12 x 12 feet, present challenges that extend beyond the initial concept and realization of the design. Artists often see the work in its final stage only when it is installed at the site and they must prepare for a variety of missteps along the way. In this case, the installation went smoothly. As Karpowicz describes, “It came in sections, we assembled it, and there it was. I saw it for the very first time. It was a great feeling. King of the World for a day. . . “ 

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