Consophia Ian Lazarus

Ian Lazarus
Consophia, 2000
Painted steel, stainless steel chain, 550 x 540 x 270 centimetres

The sculpture symbolically reflects communication across borders, standing as it does on the international border between the United States and Canada.

Consophia refers to wisdom among friends. Linking this sculpture with the geometric syllabics of the Native Ojibway script, the sculptor presents a form that represents a sharing of ideas among equals. The English translations of the Ojibway writings on each side of the central beam are "sharing knowledge" and "inspired interaction." The inclusion of this ancient language further expands this sculpture's metaphor of communication across culture, location and time.