Soldered brass, 17 x 13 x 8, 2009.
A small profile face looks out from behind a mass of round forms: a deep open bore, large flat discs with raised centers, a flared shell shape, and a curving blade-like horn that rises to a point. The discs sit where ears would sit on either side of the head, and the open bore is the largest feature of the piece, aimed outward like a listening trumpet. The face has no more presence than any of these.
An oracle is a figure who listens first. The god’s words arrive through the Pythia, and what she says is only whatever she has taken in. Here the receiving apparatus gets the bulk and the mouth is absent. The profile has the look of Athena, goddess of wisdom, and her wisdom is shown as a capacity to take in what’s said.
Below the mass, a horse’s head emerges from the folded forms at the base, and a row of small marks runs along the arch of the crest. These add a second layer of attendants to the listening. The single red finish unifies all of it into one body. Auricle is also the name of a chamber of the heart, and the color suits that reading as well: the oracle hears with a heart as well as ears.
