The Beauty In Nature

Abode2 joins David Harber as he showcases his latest sculpture at ASLA 2021 US Conference and Exhibitions

Oxfordshire, UK; Award-winning British sculptor David Harber will be attending this year’s ALSA Landscape Architect Conference and Exhibition in the US. At this conference, he will be previewing one of his latest sculptures, Mantle II for the first time in the US. Alongside this sculpture, Armillary Sphere and Quiver will be showcased. For over two decades, David has designed and produced covetable sculptures, sundials and water features which enchant and delight whilst responding to their natural surroundings.

David Harber’s latest sculptures are Sentinel, a thoughtful and contemplative piece, and Mantle II, featuring an alluring tension between its wafer-thin crust and its golden interior.

Mantle II

Mantle II is the latest version of David Harber's iconic Mantle sculpture. Inspired by planet Earth, Mantle sculptures' intrigue lies in the tension between the wafer-thin crust and the golden interior – a metaphor for our ecosystem.

A delicate latticework of hundreds of verdigris bronze petals, each with an underside gilded in 23¾ carat gold leaf gives these modern outdoor sculptures an ethereal glow suggesting an inner life force – a breathtaking effect made even more dramatic at night by subtle internal illumination.

This sculpture is a limited edition of 150 and can be commissioned in bronze and 23¾ carat gold leaf; mirror polished stainless steel spray-painted on the inside with any RAL colour; or it can be in oxidized steel.

Sentinel

Featuring two elegantly poised halves in a state of implausible balance, Sentinel’s arrival comes following a period of time that has placed a huge significance on maintaining a safe distance from one another. Having explored how two bodies can co-exist in close proximity without touching, Sentinel’s two halves are split vertically by an internal face of marine grade polished steel, creating an almost kaleidoscopic effect of infinite reflections in the mirrored surface.

Sentinel’s outer shell is fashioned from an elongated ovoid crafted from hundreds of shards of tactile Welsh slate. This juxtaposition of natural, rugged exterior with the crisp, clean mirror-polished steel interior creates a truly striking effect. The two halves, poised on a small base, stand vertical and resolute in a state of symbiotic interdependence, ushering the user to connect with the sculpture’s balanced yet dynamic energy and drawing the viewer’s eyes directly to its central focal point. At night, Sentinel comes alive thanks to uplighters found at its feet.

www.davidharber.co.uk/