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Listen "Description of Corporal Term, 1971/2023"
Episode Synopsis
Access a slow-looking exercise related to this work.
Transcript
Marilee Talkington: "Corporal Term" was re-created for this site-specific 2023 installation from the original 1971 design of the artist Lee Kun-Yong. A large, sturdy tree trunk, several feet in diameter, rising about 12 feet tall from a tightly packed cube of soil, gravel, and concrete, dominates the center of the gallery.
The entire installation sits on a square wooden panel several inches off the ground, topped by a thin metal slab about an inch thick. This supports a large cube about 4 feet high by 4 feet wide, created from layers of soil blended with gravel and concrete, which helps to keep its geometric shape and crisp edges despite these organic materials. The soil has distinct layers, variations of lighter and darker colors, and alternating textures—sometimes sandy, sometimes rocky, sometimes smooth. These layers are reminiscent of the earth’s soil horizon: the differing color, texture, structure, and thickness comprising the topsoil, subsoil, and bedrock.
The Norway spruce tree extending out of the center of the soil cube was sourced from Milanville, Pennsylvania. Its thick trunk shoots upward in a nearly straight vertical line. The bark has narrow flat ridges, tightly packed between deep fissures like scales, and it has a subtle fibrous texture, as if it would feel hairy. A horizontal cut slices the trunk across the top, leaving it bare of branches or leaves.
Thick roots extend from the bottom of the trunk, partially enveloped by a mound of loose soil layered at the top of the cube. Small rocks and stones are scattered along this top layer of soil. The roots are broken or roughly cut, ending abruptly along the edge of the cube, though one root extends 2 feet beyond the edge.
Lighting from the gallery shines down onto the tree throwing shadows on the cube as if additional shadow roots are extending across the surface. Despite its severed roots and head, the tree still appears to be living, stretching strong and healthy from the earth.
Transcript
Marilee Talkington: "Corporal Term" was re-created for this site-specific 2023 installation from the original 1971 design of the artist Lee Kun-Yong. A large, sturdy tree trunk, several feet in diameter, rising about 12 feet tall from a tightly packed cube of soil, gravel, and concrete, dominates the center of the gallery.
The entire installation sits on a square wooden panel several inches off the ground, topped by a thin metal slab about an inch thick. This supports a large cube about 4 feet high by 4 feet wide, created from layers of soil blended with gravel and concrete, which helps to keep its geometric shape and crisp edges despite these organic materials. The soil has distinct layers, variations of lighter and darker colors, and alternating textures—sometimes sandy, sometimes rocky, sometimes smooth. These layers are reminiscent of the earth’s soil horizon: the differing color, texture, structure, and thickness comprising the topsoil, subsoil, and bedrock.
The Norway spruce tree extending out of the center of the soil cube was sourced from Milanville, Pennsylvania. Its thick trunk shoots upward in a nearly straight vertical line. The bark has narrow flat ridges, tightly packed between deep fissures like scales, and it has a subtle fibrous texture, as if it would feel hairy. A horizontal cut slices the trunk across the top, leaving it bare of branches or leaves.
Thick roots extend from the bottom of the trunk, partially enveloped by a mound of loose soil layered at the top of the cube. Small rocks and stones are scattered along this top layer of soil. The roots are broken or roughly cut, ending abruptly along the edge of the cube, though one root extends 2 feet beyond the edge.
Lighting from the gallery shines down onto the tree throwing shadows on the cube as if additional shadow roots are extending across the surface. Despite its severed roots and head, the tree still appears to be living, stretching strong and healthy from the earth.
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