Aeriel

Mike Roig
Carrboro, NC
Lacquered recycled steel, stainless steel and industrial bearings
10′-3″ H x 4′-6″ diameter of motion
The Dance by Wayne Vaughn
The Dance by Wayne Vaughn

Artist Comments

Aeriel is my variant spelling of the word aerial, defined in my computer’s desktop dictionary in adjective form as “existing, happening, or operating in the air.” My basic motivation with this and other pieces from this series I’ve been working on is to find forms that in their solidity and visual heft simply do not automatically suggest the kind of lightness of being that would be susceptible to being moved by the passage of air. As they do move, the play of light over the stainless steel surface provides a visual metaphor for the wind and the rippling energy that inspires the movement.

Sculpture is an art form meant to be viewed and to provide visual delight from every angle, and Aeriel obliges by literally shifting its pose whether the viewer remains stationary or not. Part of the interest for me in building these pieces is the surprise the two dimensional design I lay out excites as I contort the metal and mold it into undulating form and put it in motion. That it continues to surprise me, the maker, gives me hope that it will inspire wonder in those who come to view it in the larger world.

-Mike Roig

About the Artist

Mike Roig lives and works in Carrboro, NC where he has been fashioning sculpture from recycled and new steel and stainless steel for more than twenty years. With his Author/Illustrator wife, Clay Carmichael, they maintain a home studio dedicated to a life of creative expression. His work is widely collected in North Carolina and beyond in both private and public collections.

For more information, visit www.mikeroig.com.

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