Cosmos

A massive raw sphere stands before us, visible seams running across its surface.  It is made up of interlocking segments of 2.2cm sheets of strong steel heated to glowing red and then forged into its spherical form.  Each individual segment has its own specific shape and thus its own exact place in the whole.

The form of a sphere represents the concept of the cosmos as understood in Greek antiquity – a closed and complete system in which every part has its appointed place. The segments fit together as do continents and the oceans around the Earth.

The sphere is the prototype, the origin of our existence, the symbol of the planets, sun and moon – the perfect form, created by the action of gravitation and rotation.

On first sight the sphere appears to be complete – the ideal of the cosmos.  Further study reveals that there is a ‘missing piece’.  ‘Cosmos’ is an early representation of Wolf’s recurring preoccupation with the theme of the ‘missing piece’.  In this case, the missing element is so small that it scarcely detracts from the whole. Even though the absence of this one piece is not denied, the onlooker has no trouble seeing beyond it and can see in his mind the perfect form.

The two sculptures, ‘Cosmos’ and ‘Fragment’ relate to one another in meaning and form but they start from opposite points.  For ‘Cosmos’ it is the completed whole, whereas for ‘Fragment’ the starting point is meaning and form.