Worlds in Collision Sculpture by Leslie Davis
"Worlds in Collision," an art exhibition, was created to draw attention to four illnesses. Through construction of dynamic metal and glass sculpture, glass artist Leslie Davis informs viewers about the gravity of four illnesses and about the pioneering scientists working on alternative cures. "Worlds in Collision" was displayed in 2006 at the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art (OCCCA), Santa Ana, California.
(Worlds in Collision is also the title of a book by Immanuel Velikovsky © 1950, proposing that worldwide catastrophes have been caused by the ejection of the planet Venus from Jupiter in the 15th century BC. The book's thesis has been widely rejected by scientists around the world.)
Leslie Davis of Laguna Beach created "Worlds in Collision," the art exhibition, to draw attention to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, breast cancer and malaria. Despite the dire messages embedded in her art pieces, they are so exquisitely fashioned with radiant color, light and finely wrought glass and metal that observers are drawn in by their beauty and complexity. These works are constructed of smooth blown glass, designer-colored glass beads, flickering lights and deftly shaped wire and metal. When the four pieces are shown together, the effect is more like a dramatic stage set than the scientific message that Leslie talks about.
When questioned, Leslie launches into an explanation that reveals the depth of her medical research: "In this exhibition, the large sculptures convey the visceral and immediate threat posed by these global diseases. The works blur the distinction between seeing and affliction and ask viewers to confront their own vulnerabilities to disease."
Stem Cell Regeneration
"Regeneration," Leslie's latest art exhibition/series of glass and metal works, was exhibited in 2010 also at OCCCA. This series addresses the devastation of spinal cord injuries and the promise of stem cell research in helping to cure this type of injury.
In this series, blown glass pieces, representations of microscopic stem cells and other biological organisms, are encased in graceful lattice frames of steel. The series' signature piece Stem Cell Regeneration is composed of a curved metal armature, representing tissue, supporting layered red discs of cut and fused glass, the latter representing cells. The cell’s nucleus is in the center of the art piece.
The unusual and beautiful artworks comprising "Regeneration are displayed at The Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center at the University of California, Irvine. The Center is considering purchasing the artworks.
Leslie Davis created "Worlds in Collision" to create awareness about four of the world's most devastating illnesses. She designed "Regeneration" to bring attention to the powerful cures available for some of the world’s illnesses and ailments. As a working artist, who has herself endured and overcome a variety of illnesses, she believes that art can be a powerful tool to alert the world to humankind’s problems and solutions.
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