Deborah Bloom & Richard Bloom

Equal parts artists, geologists, botanists and archaeologists, we are self-taught collaborators who pride ourselves on gathering our own materials from Nature and creating something entirely new. With a deep reverence for the environment, we use plant, animal and mineral bits that are replenishable and will bio-degrade over time, leaving no footprint. Obsidian is found in the high desert regions of Oregon, and we spend about ten weeks of the year slowly excavating, piece by piece, using only hand tools. These shards emit a sound that is pleasing, harmonious and haunting. Seedpods, thorns, antler and bone are found primarily in the western United States. Some are used exactly as found, others are carved, drilled, filed or polished, but all remain true to the original form. In the studio, each chime is designed and materials are combined in strange and surprising ways to create functional and kinetic sculpture which echoes Nature herself.