Sebastien Jaunas

This is a one off unique piece. It draws upon the forged steel series and past multimedia works using wood and metal. It falls between a series of suspended forged steel objects and the ‘Mirror’ series of mural sculptures made of recycled steel and mixed media exploring the psychological element of our self-reflection, the difficulty of understanding our self and the loss of our identity in the addiction we have with our image.
This piece of Matai has been aging for years waiting for attention. Jaunas wanted to reveal the trunk, showing expansion and development, floating its large, imposing shape within forged steel, developing the structure and increasing the volume of its expansive form through polishing, scorching and penetration.
The two polished sides present a window into the material qualities of the wood. The other sides show what happens to the tree in the forest, the trunk had broken and split and on the machined side opposite, the chainsaw marks had cut through the Matai. Finally there was a side where the cambium layer had been exposed, Jaunas wanted to explore the brittle, black and white colour and texture of ashes and how the matai responded to scorching. Part of the process of rejuvenation in the forest is burning, from destruction comes life. All of these sides are a history of this block of Matai.
The addition of steel increased the development and growth of the original truck, enabling it to float within its structure. The verticality of the forged steel accentuates the tension of the vertical cracks within the wood.