London-based artist Zadok Ben-David echoes motifs found in nature by implanting large steel sculptures of flowers, trees, and swarms of butterflies in natural landscapes, most recently at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Each large-scale structure mimics the various plant life and beautiful swirls of butterflies in a whimsically delicate manner. The silhouetted botanical forms vary in height and shape, each representing a different human states of being. The project’s statement reads: “This installation reflects [Ben-David’s] on-going engagement with the humanization of nature as a mean to express emotion.”
The artist, who is probably best known for his garden of tiny metallic flowers, is no stranger to working with stainless steel in an effort to replicate nature and create a connection to it. However, his medium of choice (Corten steel) for this particular outdoor project has an extra property that allows his sculptural pieces to transform over time into a structure with a stable rust-like surface, which prevents it from succumbing to corrosion. While there is no indication that this choice has a metaphoric significance to the link between mankind and nature, it is certainly a wise choice for a public art installation.
