Stavanger, Norway
The copper wire sculptures of Camilla Løken Hill contain big beginnings and endings. “Takk for alt/Thanks for Everything R.I.P.” borrows the form of a funeral wreath, marker of life’s grand finale. “Mitt genetiske anker/My Genetic Anchor,” fashioned from 1,023 handwoven DNA coils, symbolizes its start. But that is really too narrow, and too conventional, a view. Her wreath, woven from shiny copper strands, can be indefinitely expanded by adding more threads. Many end in old Norwegian coins, beautifully oxidized by time and the elements, suggesting mushroom caps or nasturtium leaves, the tops of organisms known for being rhizomatic networks of growth and communication. Out the bottom of the wreath stretch strands of different lengths, like roots and tendrils seeking nutrients and connection. Her “Anchor,” suspended and glowing, begins at the top with a single coil then multiplies exponentially, spilling out on the ground like a dress or an inverted family tree. The work is finished but easy to imagine continuing indefinitely, or at least as long as we humans do.
—Lori Waxman, March 17, 3:54 PM