What do Ruth Asawa's tied-wire sculptures remind you of? While some might say sea urchins or snowflakes, Asawa actually modeled these forms from dried desert plants found in Death Valley. Upon drawing the plants, she found "its intricacy... made it impossible." She turned to wire, working with bundles and spools that she manipulated into complex branches and other botanical forms. Asawa’s tied-wire sculptures often began with a floral, star-like, or geometric center, sometimes using as many as 1,000 individual wires! As she worked the form grew progressively outward, she both responded to the properties of her medium in following “what the wire dictates” and mirrored patterns in the natural world. Explore the intricacies of Asawa's tied-wire sculptures in "Ruth Asawa: Retrospective," just like dariuschan0. Get your tickets at the link in bio. __ [Photo 1: Henrik Kam; Ruth Asawa, "Untitled (S.238, Wall-Mounted Tied-Wire, Open-Center, Five-Petaled Form Based on Nature)," Mid-to-lat...