Rising Boat 1986

David Nash made this sculpture, Rising Boat, from wood. It’s about how something static can suggest movement. You know, it’s about potential energy, like a held breath. Nash works directly with the material, and you can see his marks, the cuts and fissures, almost like a drawing in three dimensions. The wood has a beautiful, warm tone, and it feels both sturdy and fragile at the same time. Look at the way the grain follows the form, emphasizing the upward thrust, like the boat is pushing against gravity, reaching for the sky. The split at the top is really interesting. It’s like the boat is opening up, inviting us to climb aboard and take a journey. I always think about Brancusi when I see work like this, how he also found ways to make solid materials feel light and buoyant. Art's a conversation, isn't it? A back-and-forth across time. And it's up to us to keep that conversation going, to find our own meanings in these beautiful, ambiguous forms.