Dephinus

“Dephinus” is the latin word for Dolphin. In contemporary use, the word is used to refer to the genus name of the common dolphin in taxonomy and to a constellation that was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer, Ptolemy. Although Dolphins are generally considered to be benign and intelligent creatures, the bronze sculpture by the artist Eric Jean-Marie evokes a far less friendly beast. Small in size and partially sunken into the ground, Dephinus hides in the grass of the American Enterprise Sculpture Garden as if it were lying in wait. Because of its small size, it is likely to escape visitor notice until one is literally upon it, at which point it is too late. The sculpture is composed of a heavy chain and a tube with nuts and bolts arranged around an opening to suggest jagged teeth in a snarling mouth.

My work moves along the lines of constructivism, infusing organic industrial weight with the pure and refined synergy of connection, tension, harmony and balance found in the structural materials of industry and architecture with a focus on symmetrical, pure and direct abstraction, even biomorphic. If there is a singular theme, it is of the ghost in the machine."

Eric Jean-Marie