THE SPIRAL OF LIFE

Ashes by Jennifer Khoshbin who is a carver of books. (see more of Khoshbin's prints here)

Most, if not all, cultures have used the spiral as a positive symbol. It has been associated with the cycles of life. Cycles of birth, death and rebirth. Cycles of time and growth, nature and her seasons.

Spirals found at Newgrange, Ireland. It has been suggested that they relate to the solar cycle. Read more here. Intriguing!

Container with spiral decoration, Bronze and Iron Age, Late period, 300B.C. - 200 A.D. Thailand. Metropolitan Museum of Art

Spiral Meditation by Kalyna Pidwerbesky. Felt and fibre.

Spot of Spiral Tea by Christie Reynolds at New York Art Exchange.

Sweet grass basket sculpture by Debora Muhl.

Cell Division by Patrick Dougherty

"Dougherty's works allude to nests, cocoons, hives, and their lairs built by animals, as well as the manmade forms of huts, haystacks, and baskets, created by interweaving branches and twigs together. Many of his works look 'found' rather than made, as if they were created by the natural force of a tornado sweeping across the landscape. He intentionally tries for this effortless effect, as if his creations just fell or grew up naturally in their settings." - Linda Johnson

Brick Things by Bennett Blackburn

Land Art by Jim Denevan

"Jim Denevan makes freehand drawings in sand. At low tide on wide beaches Jim searches the shore for a wave tossed stick. After finding a good stick and composing himself in the near and far environment Jim draws-- laboring up to 7 hours and walking as many as 30 miles. The resulting sand drawing is made entirely freehand with no measuring aids whatsoever. From the ground, these drawn environments are experienced as places. Places to explore and be, and to see relation and distance. For a time these tangible specific places exist in the indeterminate environment of ocean shore. From high above the marks are seen as isolated phenomena, much like clouds, rivers or buildings. Soon after Jim's motions and marks are completed water moves over and through, leaving nothing."

Hundertwasser regarded the spiral as a symbol of life and death.

"Our earth describes a spiral course. We move in circles, but we never come back to the same point. The circle is not closed. We only pass the same neighbourhood many times. It is characteristic of a spiral that it seems to be a circle but is not closed."

"The spiral shows life and death in both directions. Starting from the center, the infinite small the spiral means birth and growth, but by getting bigger and bigger the spiral dilutes into the infinite space and dies off like waves who disappear in the calm waters.
On the contrary if the spiral condenses from outer space, life starts from the infinite big, the spiral becomes more and more powerful and concentrates into the infinitely small which cannot be measured by man because it is beyond our conception and we call it death." - Hundertwasser