Thomas Sayre discusses his process for Gyre (Video)

Earth casting is an affordable way of making very big things that are very strong and permanent. But more important than that, it’s a way of working whereby human intention—what I want, what I engineer—is in balance with nature, in this case the geology of the ground, which pushes back and affects the work. 

-Thomas Sayre

Thomas Sayre’s Gyre sculpture is an example of his earth castings, which are 3-D pieces created by sculpting directly into the earth. As he says in the quote above, the way he creates his sculpture is similar to a dialogue in which the material, the geology of the ground, “pushes back and affects the work.” How does an artist shape the media, and vice versa: how can the media influence the artist?

Watch the video above to hear Sayre discuss his earth casting process.