The creation of the “circle of life red woods”

D. Barkby was particularly fascinated by the history and mysticism of the circle of life and learned a lot about this legend from the Hopi Indians. His idea was to combine the power of the circle of life with an enduring element. Barkby realized that wood was an excellent material for depicting the circle of life. So he searched for a suitable wood and found it in buckeye burl, maple burl and especially in redwood (known as the guardian of the west). The reddish wood is very hard-wearing and robust. The trees grow over 100 meters high and can easily reach an age of over 2000 years and can even withstand a forest fire. The redwood trees are protected by the state and may only be felled in certain quantities. D. Barkby was able to secure a quota. Each year he is allowed to buy and process a certain amount of the wood, which was felled before 1927 and has been stored in the water ever since.

The circle of life red wood is produced in various sizes up to 4.50 meters in diameter. They are characterized by their uniqueness. The structured wood, the notches and unevenness make the structure appear natural. The color of the wood can vary from deep red to a soft red shimmer. Depending on the structure of the wood, the carved circles are either fully or only partially visible and resemble a bone in their colors. Here, too, there is a lot of hidden symbolism. For the Hopi Indians, the bone represents strength and power. The Indians believe that the earth sheds tears of water. This water becomes a wave, which in turn becomes a body. The body is represented by the bone. The combination of the circle of life with the wood of the redwood creates a mural that sparkles with energy and reminds us of the mysticism of ancient cultures as well as the mysticism of our own lives.

This is the largest and most dangerous undertaking to create a Circle of Life from 6 pieces (4.5 m x 4.5 m). Meaning 5 wooden pieces in the outer area are for our 5 senses and 5 continents of Mother Earth. The wood in the center, for the key of Argata (gate of life). Circles are symbols for earth, sun, moon and for thought, body and feeling. The 4 elements are for the 4 directions and the elements of water, earth, fire and wind as well as learning, experience, knowledge, life. The inner breich is the 5 senses of the elements (the future, in the thought of the present to live.) On an approx. 2 cm thick plate 6 pieces of wood, with different weights and sizes are attached. These are then turned at a speed of 80-120 km/h and worked on with special tools. This work process is very dangerous because it is not possible to balance this plate with a total weight of over 400 kg. For this reason, no more saddle wood will be produced in the future. This means that there will be 9 unique “Circle of Life” satellites of this size worldwide. Of which 5 already have a proud owner. (Costs from CHF 1.2 million).

Kunstmesse Zürich 2006