"Re-": Cardboard sculpture

I went to pick up my work from Sightline Institute recently where it had hung during June as the inaugural show in Becky Brooks's series of curated exhibits, and from down the hall, before I even entered the glass doors, a blaze of red caught my eye and wouldn't let go. 

Up close, Bryan Smith's cardboard constructions are meticulously crafted, bold and intricate at the same time. Abstract compositions reward closer viewing with the complex details of cut shapes, interrupted text, and images printed on what were once ordinary boxes.

On my way out the door I glanced up. Several large, bulbous sculptures of sewn cardboard perching on a dividing shelf almost reached over and tapped me on the head. A simple blanket stitch connects petals of packaging into bulging, organic forms that look as if they are not done morphing yet. As if one might come in one morning to find the room filled with pink, white and green cardboard organisms, still growing...

The show's up through August 27. If you're downtown, stop by the Vance building, take a ride up to the 5th floor, and see what happened to these boxes before they could reach the recycling bin.

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"Re-"

Work by Bryan Smith

Weekdays between 10am and 3pm 
Through August 27 

Sightline Institute
1402 Third Ave,
Fifth Floor, Suite 500
Seattle, WA
206-447-1880 ext. 100
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After viewing the art, you are invited to respond to the question:

“What thoughts about sustainability are inspired by 
Bryan's art (and by art in general)?”

A notebook to share your response is available near the artwork, 
or you can add your comment here.

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Images:

1. Bryan Smith

Cardboard Sculpture

Detail. JH iPhone shot

2. Bryan Smith

Cardboard Sculpture

Courtesy Becky Brooks