In this piece, shoots of field peas serve as a visual representation of Hegel’s explanation of the unfolding of the Spirit. Hegel uses the Seed as an organic metaphor to evoke the development of the Spirit in stages.
-
Grown from seed by me. The peashoots were subsequently consumed.
-
Found discarded in the hallway of my studio, this frame has been repurposed as a support for the peashoots
Just like the Seed, the Spirit contains all that it will ever become. It moves from its most basic self (a state of dormancy); to the rejection of that self (the seed cracking open, making way for the embryo to develop its root, the Seed destroying itself to make way for its own evolution)
This metaphor is meant to explain the way in which new Spirits transcend historical Spirits. All stages of the plant life- seed, shoot, plant, flower, and fruit, are inextricably linked.
This piece exemplifies Hegel’s belief that past progress remains stores in the present, for the Seed is not just the beginning of plant life, it is also the culmination of its existence. Just as each plant is unique, so too are Spirits.
