Swirling Mass

Joonwon Lee's Fleeting Moments at the Henry.

At first glance, Fleeting Moments looks as though circles of wire have been coated in flocking (a spray foam that solidifies into the texture of fabric). But instead, Korean-born Joonwon Lee, a recent UW MFA grad from the fiber-arts program, has wound thread over and around loose spools of wire, covering every bit of metal in whiteness. These physical scribbles hang in a rounded tangle, creating a shadow-map of grey against the wall, a near-drawing in itself. This sculpture is a physical embodiment of the line, shaded in monochrome, from white thread to dark shadows. The rounds of wire curl around and spill over each other, reminiscent of knitting—a tribute to the stitch. “An accumulation of mute singular forms,” explains the artist’s statement, “is intended to reflect evidence of daily life.” This curvaceous sculpture, part of the UW’s MFA exhibit, is attractive for its deceptive simplicity, as well as for the painstaking labor that went into its creation.