Native water reeds are incredibly resilient. They grow in Australian creeks, still wetlands, brackish lagoons and here, in this work. Despite the removal of soil material, these reeds continue to thrive in water and regenerate roots.

Unstill Life takes inspiration from Jesus’ use of plant metaphors in Matthew chapter 12:

Here is my servant… A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory.

The text directly echoes a prophesy from the Old Testament. It’s so unapologetically declarative. I love the metaphor of a Messiah who is strong enough to bring justice to all the world’s nations, and yet is impossibly tender toward wounded humanity.

As the reeds grow in their borosilicate homes, they remind me of how God nurtures his people. This brings me a sense of peace. Making the work is a visceral experience that involves equal amounts of concentration, patience, and risk. Glass rod and tubes are melted, twisted and pulled using a torch that burns at 1200 degrees.

The way the fragile glass reveals the beauty of the whole plant enlivens the veins and capillaries of my own flesh and spirit.