Flatlas

4 July 202414 July 2024 by Theo

For several millennia, flat earthers have been without strong support for their worldview and now, finally Flatlas is here. The figure of Flatlas, a mythical cousin of Atlas, kneels on an orb and balances a flat earth map above his head.

Inspired by art history and ancient myths and legends, Flatlas, is constructed from air dried clay, painted with fake copper paint. Balanced precariously above his head is a hand etched and weathered real copper engraving of a world map. Flatlas is supported by a reclaimed wooden post and he sinks into a turned globe giving an inversion of the traditional Atlas sculpture.

Flatlas is being exhibited in the Ashburton Society of Arts 60th Annual Exhibition at Ashburton Art Gallery from 1-26 July 2024.

Non-flat Earth (#2)

4 July 202225 October 2022 by Theo

Non-flat Earth, papier-mâché, approx 50 x 50 x 50 cm

Myths and legends tell the story of a flat earth traveling through the heavens supported on the backs of elephants and a turtle. Same here, but with a roundish earth.

There are some conspiracy theories floating around suggesting that the Earth is flat. I have traveled around the world and observed that it is in fact round. Well, roundish.

Hindu mythology has the earth supported by elephants or a tortoise/turtle or both or a snake. North America has a legend of a ‘Great Turtle’, which upholds the Earth.

Combining the facts with the legends, I have recreated this model of the Earth. A Non-flat Earth is based on Non-flat Earth Unpainted, but with a hand made globe, in a different medium – papier-mâché, and painted this time.

The book of Job in the Bible says the Earth is suspended over nothing.

He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.
Job 26:7. NIV

While this lines up with the science, my globe has to rely on the backs of elephants and a turtle for support.

Non-flat Earth was entered in the Ashburton Society of Arts 58th Annual Exhibition and could be viewed (and purchased $900) at the Ashburton Art Gallery from 5-29 July 2022.

Small Worlds

4 July 202225 October 2022 by Theo

Small World North

Small World South

Small World Stewart

With the recent pandemic and lockdowns travel globally has been limited. This has been hard on Kiwis who love to travel the globe and occasionally bump someone they know from home. They establish their common connections and exclaim “Small World!”.

And also during some of the travels of my life, I have met people who have not travelled very far from where they were born. Sometimes you hear of people who have spent their entire lives living and working on a bridge in a European or Asian city, or had never left the small village they were born in. Their worldview is often small.

These globes are for the travel-challenged.

Small World North, Small World South and Small World Stewart were entered in the Ashburton Society of Arts 58th Annual Exhibition and could be viewed (and purchased) at the Ashburton Art Gallery from 5-29 July 2022.

The world is falling apart

8 April 20208 April 2020 by Theo

The foundations of the earth are falling apart. Photographs of sculpture.

Just over a year ago, I created Non-flat earth (unpainted), a sculpture of a model of the earth that combined facts and legends of how the earth is supported.

The world is falling apart, photograph of a sculpture previously known as Non-flat earth (unpainted).

The foundations are crumbling and decaying which is kind of appropriate with the laws of thermodynamics and the current global pandemic.

However, there is hope.

‘They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. ‘
Isaiah 61:4 https://my.bible.com/bible/111/ISA.61.4

‘Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ‘
Revelation 21:1 https://my.bible.com/bible/111/REV.21.1

I could repair the sculpture. Or leave it to decay further. Or build a new one.

As the (unpainted) title of the original sculpture suggests the work is not finished. It was a prototype for further work and could have been painted to fit more with the ancient legends. My procrastination has given this sculpture an opportunity to express itself its own way.

Post about the creation of the original sculpture:

Non-flat earth (unpainted)

Sofa Safari

2 January 20202 January 2020 by Theo

Exploring Furniture in the Wild

Over the last 18 months, as I walk around the neighborhood, I often see the furniture that has been abandoned or has escaped domestic confines and is now residing on the streets or in the fields.

In fact, all over Turkey, I see wild furniture. I’m searching for the most elusive varieties of furniture – the avian and the aquatic. Maybe one day I will be lucky enough to see some furniture flying or swimming or even just resting beside a waterway or in a tree or on a rooftop.

Join me on a Sofa Safari

View the whole series on Flickr

Street couch — Explore my series of photos of Wild Furniture sightings on Flickr

Non-flat earth (unpainted)

8 March 201912 February 2020 by Theo

There are some conspiracy theories floating around suggesting that the Earth is flat. I have traveled around the world and observed that it is in fact round. Well, roundish.

Hindu mythology has the earth supported by elephants or a tortoise/turtle or both or a snake. North America has a legend of a ‘Great Turtle’, which upholds the Earth.

Combining the facts with the legends, I have created this model of the Earth.

Front, non-flat earth (unpainted), mixed media

Back, non-flat earth (unpainted), mixed media

Face, non-flat earth (unpainted), mixed media

Back detail, non-flat earth (unpainted), mixed media

The book of Job in the Bible says the Earth is suspended over nothing.

He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.
Job 26:7. NIV

While this lines up with the science, getting my globe to suspend itself over nothing is rather challenging.

I’m currently reading a book called The World is Flat. [affiliate link]

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Flight to Egypt

13 February 201912 August 2019 by Theo

I looked out the window and there were three types of light sources of increasing power. On the ground below were man-made city lights. On the horizon were flashes of lightning from a tropical storm. And above a myriad of stars.

Flight to Egypt #1, White and Silver Pens

Flight to Egypt #6, Torn and Etched Aluminum Foil

Flight to Egypt #8, Emirates Colour Pencil

Flight to Egypt #9, Pointillism, White Pen

Flight to Egypt #10, Graphite (4B) Pencil

Flight to Egypt #12, Spray Paint Stencil Print

Flight to Egypt #13, Cut Paper Inverse (Stencil)

Flight to Egypt #19, Horizontal Lines, Yellow Colored Pencil

Flight to Egypt #21, White Colored Pencil

Country Thief

3 June 201711 September 2019 by Theo

What would happen if certain countries did not exist?

One of the items in Theo’s procrastination list (since 2014) is an geographical education computer game called Country Thief.

As someone who comes from a country (New Zealand) that is often left off global maps, I decided to create a game where countries are disappearing from the map for various reasons (evil dictators, nuclear war, economic collapse, alien invasion, meteors of unusual size and shape, global warming). Players race against decreasing time limits to find the missing country and identify it. Can you beat the clock and save your country from disappearing?

Given recent current events and environmental concerns, I am releasing this concept design image for people to share on social media and make their own comments.

There Once Was Sky (Under Construction)

7 January 20179 September 2019 by Theo

Over the last few years the landscape around our neighborhood has changed as more and more of the older buildings are replaced with luxury apartment blocks.

A neighbor behind us had a two storey house where they kept chickens on their rooftop under a grapevine.

In 2014 they and others in the street sold to developers and their houses were demolished to make way for new construction.
Concrete foundations for the new building were poured and then demolished again. Rising five floors above the second foundation the new apartment construction took about two years.