Miriam Carpenter
Convergence, 2023

Turned and welded patinated bronze rods, fabricated and milled brass, bronze fasteners, American black walnut with hand-rubbed oil finish.

Converge:
1. to tend or move toward one point or one another: come together: meet.
2. to come together and unite in a common interest or focus.

We begin – pure. We diverge from our insular ways of being, from our imagined securities. As we converge, we are changed. It is our responsibility to recognize gratitude for its value – for our integration and collaboration creates the bedrock for a more compassionate and capable future.
The intent behind creating this piece was to invite collaboration – to work alongside other artists, share discoveries, develop new processes and to open to new perspectives. This piece can be described in the same way both figuratively and literally.
Clusters of domed bronze rods pierce through a slab of American black walnut. As they diverge from sleeves of brass – they converge – and change from pure and polished raw material to gradient layers of patina. The patina acts as a protective layer unifying the individual bronze rods as one support system for the console table. The structure of this piece combines beautifully hand-cut mortises, milled joinery, delicate reveals, trapezoidal American black walnut wedges and domed brass feet.
Art is the way – not simply a means to understanding.