The installation piece, “Hope is the Thing with Feathers”, is a splash of colors and light comprised of a variety of materials including wood, foam, plastic, gold leaf, and paint. Materials were selected based upon opacity and the effects they would play on the luminosity and silhouette of the piece as a whole. Some components shine brightly, others more dimly, some are starkly visible, others nearly transparent. The variance of light and glimmer of gold are suggestive of the divine component of renewed hope. The wooden “Phoenix Rising” sculpture is likewise an emblem of renewal and freedom from an old life of ash and decay.
These pieces convey expressions of the awe and breathtaking beauty of hope, freedom and renewal. They draw to the surface the hope for better life that is within us while lifting toward the source of it. They also bring to mind all those who are hoping for greater freedom while living in physical bondage. The wings that we gaze upon in this gallery are merely an echo of the hope for freedom that those in captivity lift their eyes to. As a part of the “Not For Sale”, Free-to-Create campaign, this piece brings into focus the common desire for freedom that all people share.
This installation piece is a reflection of that which is hoped for by all who have ever prayed “Dear God, make me a bird so I can fly, far far away from here.” It is “the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all –.”
Danielle Hurley
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