Focuser
Gut, rawline flax, steel, glass, kozo
Longest 30”

"The world as we know it yields but one ending-death, disintegration, dismemberment and crucifixion of our heart with the passing of the forms that we have loved."
Joseph Campbell

On family camping trips through out the US in the 1960's we searched the skies, hoping in the most desolate areas to spot an eagle. The import of Rachel Carson was not an empty theory to me as a child. Now, every time I see an eagle I am reminded of the brink of extinction. There are unusual bellweathers that crop up mysteriously in my life. Recently, while visiting my favorite Goodwill store I found an older, hard bound "Silent Spring" which I thought could replace my worn and note stained high school copy. This was no ordinary copy but a first edition! I feel Rachel is talking directly to me. Calamities like hive collapse and the gulf coast disaster remind me that her "hysterical" spinster theories about corporate greed are still impacting the environment in ways that threaten the existence of all living matter. The image of the brown pelican mired in oil plays in my memory on a loop tape that will not stop. I feel like an insect exuding all where everything has been laid bare. Growing flawed structures, already obsolete and permeable. Homes lived in for too short a time. A force more inherent and powerful than my intellect drives me to reveal my deepest concerns.

Pi Benio
August 2010