“Pulso almado, voz lignaria”, by Marcelo Díaz

Foundations of my work

My work, my artistic expression, is based on two foundations that I felt from my earliest years, around the age of ten. From there, I have been discovering and shaping them through work and introspection.

Firstly, there is feeling — the idea that arises from emotion and from encountering something that goes beyond gesture, matter or form.

It is, without doubt, the poetry that exists and that I find in what happens within me, within us, and within society.

That is the force from which expression begins. I believe that, before anything else, it is poetry that appears, and then the poem and the sculpture follow.

All my sculptures have a poem of the same name. In this way, sculpture and poem form a single expressive unity.

Materials and technique

Secondly, it is the material that allows me a fuller and richer expression. Although I use other materials — concrete, stoneware, iron, bronze, glass — wood is fundamental in my work. I use its lignary qualities (colour, grain, knots, cuts, angles, positions, etc.) as expressive elements that introduce a variation of textures and qualities, especially when several types of wood come together in one piece. At present, I work with more than 80 different kinds of wood.

Thus, wood ceases to be a material that is simply shaped, painted, gilded or lacquered, and instead becomes a material that, in a natural way, expresses more, enhancing the conceptual content.

While I acknowledge that I do not know everything that is being produced, I have visited several countries where wood is commonly used in symposiums and art gatherings, and I have not seen this use of its lignary qualities. For this reason, I define my technique as constructive carving, as the elements or parts that make up a work are carved separately beforehand and then assembled to create the final piece. It combines the traditional idea of carving — removing what is unnecessary — with the process of joining the carved parts. This is the key to harmonising and bringing together different woods based on their lignary qualities.

Other considerations

The exhibition will include various sensory and participatory experiences.

Firstly, visitors will be able to take printed copies of the poems corresponding to the sculptures that have them available — almost all of them — displayed in their labelled boxes.

Secondly, some sculptures may be touched and gently explored, where indicated. With care, this is a pleasant experience.

There will also be a kind of “table of scents”, featuring different woods with their names and sawdust (which does not stain), allowing visitors to smell them if they wish.

There will be a LIGNARIÓN, similar to a xylophone — not tuned to a scale — made from the same woods used in the sculptures, which can be gently struck.

In addition, there will be a selection of books and catalogues available for careful consultation.