CHERYL EKSTROM

STABLE INHABITANTS OF A CHANGING WORLD

Permission was a major part of the work I was able to create for the Stable Inhabitants of a Changing World series. It could not have been done without it. It would be like stealing another's creative thoughts. Which is why I asked permission from the Eames Office. I was told that it was because of the integrity of my asking that allowed me this permission to complete five sculptures. In return, I promised to break the molds after 5/5.

Stable Inhabitants of a Changing World seems more relevant now than ever in our fast moving world. That one gesture, of asking permission, opened up a lot of doors. Similar to the first time I saw the Eames lounge chair at the age of 23. It was in the home of a writer in Philadelphia.
I was awed at what a creative and inventive piece, it was like nothing else i had ever seen. It opened up all other possibilities and became a moment of liberation that changed my life. So, in remaining faithful to that moment, I resurrected it and interpreted some other Mid-century icons in my own way. I wanted to share my truth with tradition and revolution.

Painstaking efforts were made to keep the honesty of design and the creative instinct to honor a simple moment of deliverance. Over 30 molds were made to arrive at the first sculpture, three years from receiving approval. By creating this idea through sculpture, I hope the viewer can be persuaded to slow down and compelled to look and remember. In the end, it is between the artwork and the viewer anyway, isn't it.