Sculptural installations woven from wooden coffee stir sticks by Jonathan Brilliant

By Eyeswoon, on August 20th, 2012

“Make Ends Meet” June 1-July 21, 2012, Raleigh, NC

Known for using natural objects such as flowers, stones, and twigs to build site-specific sculptures, British artist Andy Goldsworthy has inspired legions of younger artists to pursue work in a similar vein. One such artist, Jonathan Brilliant – considering the coffee shop to be more “organic and real” than the natural environment – draws his material from places like Starbucks and Peets. Using wooden coffee stir sticks, the Raleigh, North Carolina based artist has built many enormous “woven stick” installations since 2006. These pieces are created entirely in situ using only tension and compression to create a sculptural environment. See the video at the bottom of this post to see Brilliant assemble his “Have Sticks Will Travel” work at Artprize 2011 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Brilliant writes on his website: “Central to all my work is an interest in patterning and mark-making fused with the use of pre- and post-consumer manufactured materials and the use of rhythm and repetition to create installations, objects, and works on paper. Running through my work is a real enthusiasm for the inherent qualities of a material and the extent to which I can exploit it for making art.”

Currently the artist has an exhibition called “To Weave. To Stack. To Stain.” at Artspace in Raleigh, NC showing August 3-September 22, 2012.