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Measuring the Depths of His Own Nature, 2012
In collaboration with architect Brian Ripel
Graphite on 29 reclaimed timbers
69 in h x 21 ft w x 3 in d
Installation in the Foster Galleries
Commissioned by the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, MA, for the solo exhibition Retreat
Inspired by the author and naturalist Henry David Thoreau’s move to nearby Walden Pond in 1845, Shin and Ripel harness the shared impulse to seek refuge with the materials that made the physical and psychological haven possible. The artists build from Thoreau’s familial connection to pencil manufacturing and his vocations as author and land surveyor, to engage local cultural and industrial histories. Viewers consider the shaping of architectural form and the mapping of landscape as physical embodiments of personal, philosophical, and psychological retreat.