Art Installation
KEITH BARRETT

"I request of the viewer that this work is not looked at as an isolated object standing in front of Niaulani’s administration building, but is seen in the context of its whole environment. The Niaulani campus and the surrounding forest are as much a part of the artwork as the canopy and stone pit themselves. The canopy is deliberately designed and built as a transition between building and forest. The corrugated iron roof and architectural structure of the work clearly strongly relate to the building, yet the unfinished timber and raw 'ohi'a logs are more like the trees of the forest. In looking through the canopy to the surrounding 'ohi'a trees, the main uprights could be mistaken for trees themselves. As well as being a strong aesthetic connection between building and forest, this link also has the symbolic function of representing the purpose of the Volcano Art Center in its work to bring people and nature together through art. The canopy is masculine in its form, and defines and contains the energy of the stone pit.

The stone pit draws on many associated references. It is female in form, nurturing and like a womb. It faces out directly towards Kilauea Caldera and Halema'uma'u Crater, traditionally known as the home of Pele, the sacred deity of Hawai'i's volcanoes, and so acknowledges this power and draws energy from these places. The more formal stonework of the step and pit base quickly changes to a stacked stone form, reminiscent of the many heiau (sacred sites) to be found on the island. This method of building has also been used to suggest a softness in the stone, emphasising the nurturing quality and possibility of new life, as seen when the 'ohi'a and first ferns establish themselves over the raw lava field.

Inscribed on four stones within the pit are the words: 'NOTHING HERE EVER LASTS'. These words emphasise the ephemeral nature of all things, which is true of every place, but is to be acutely felt in Volcano. People here live where the very earth is being created beneath their feet, and the life of the forest rises and thrives on the lava bed, giving sustenance to all that follows, including human habitation. But they also know that all this could just as easily be burnt, suffocated and crushed by the same huge force that originally gave life, and so the cycle continues. The fact that if something is said to be 'set in stone' implies it to be permanent gives added pathos to the ephemeral nature of the phrase, and underlines the natural paradox of creation and destruction coexisting in the same force.

This defines my interpretation of the work, but now it belongs to you. Please give it the credit of your time and your thoughts, and feel equally free and comfortable with your own feelings and insights. They are as valid as any other." -- Keith Barrett, Artist in Residence 2007

To learn more about Keith Barrett, please read his Short Biography & Statement of Work (requires free Adobe Acrobat Reader) or visit his website.