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Tree Carpet Project
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Susan Hagen's
Tree Carpet Project
at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art in Boulder, Colorado, March 2002

Susan Hagen and Boulder-area artist William Rodland created an installation based on the Philadelphia Museum's Persian Tree of Life carpet, using the geometric structures in the carpet as a framework for a three-dimensional projection of a contemporary garden of earthly delights. The overall experience for the viewer was of a labyrinth through a garden with a rich landscape of flora, fauna, and humanized, allegorical trees. Viewers were able to wander through the labyrinth.

Hagen uses the Persian Tree of Life carpet to provide a schematic plan for an installation of sculptural woodcarvings in a contemporary reinterpretation of traditional mythological and religious subjects. Her sculptures use personal and symbolic narratives to articulate ideas about mortality and the spirit, emphasizing the spiritual connection of human beings to the world in which we live. The artwork in this exhibition was funded in part by a fellowship from the Independence Foundation of Philadelphia, PA.

Rodland's installations reflect his sensitivity in creating environments as objects, allowing the viewer to be drawn in and to connect on deeper levels with the work, engaging them physically as well as intellectually. Rodland's studies of surrealism, trompe l'oeil, and visionary arts have been influenced by the work of Thomas Gainsborough and Pieter Bruegel.

Email: hagen@missioncreep.com.

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