Upcycled waste material (denim, wire, inert invasive plants, etc.), steel round bale livestock feeder
8 x 8 x 4'
The circular form of The Woven Gate reflects the agricultural cycles of Sylvester Manor both metaphorically and literally (especially in its use of a round cattle
feeder as an armature). At the same time it physically frames the actual landscape of the Manor—allowing visitors to pass through the gate and see the Manor in a new context. Woven with upcycled material, the sculpture also functions as a gateway—evoking the gates of both heaven and hell from Paradise Lost (which is the theme of the exhibition). One can see hell in the detritus that comprises the gateway, and at the same time see heaven as the “garbage” is turned into something beautiful. These two seemingly irreconcilable ways of viewing the sculpture bring to mind Sylvester Manor’s own discordant story, which includes both the ugliness of slavery and the beauty of nature.
“The Woven Gate invites viewers to consider displacement and diaspora, the flotsam and jetsam of disrupted lives, and the cyclical nature of life and death. It serves as a kind of portal defining the liminal space between worlds and lived experiences.” – Tom Cugliani, Curator
Exhibition History
Sculpture @ Sylvester Manor: Paradise Lost
Sylvester Manor, Shelter Island, NY
June 14, 2025 - Sept 14, 2025
"The Woven Gate" is supported by Long Island Grants for the Arts through funds provided by the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and administered by The Huntington Arts Council.
