Dimensions: TBC Date of the work: 2013
Medium: Steel and spray paint
Current location: President’s Sculpture Garden Permanent Collection, Verdala Palace, Rabat, Malta
Displaying versatility in both style and subject matter, Tabone took on a commission to produce permanent outdoor seating works from the President of Malta’s Verdala Sculpture Garden in Buskett, Rabat, in 2014. The chosen space is a rather secluded area within the gardens, away from the main thoroughfare leading from the public road to the palace. The choice of space was deliberate to provide a place for quiet contemplation. This is further emphasized by the artist’s choice of producing a set of three garden benches without the use of the customary four-legged arrangement. This potentially provides the sitter with the sensation of physical elevation. Through these elements, the artist chose to design Red Leaf as an opportunity for visitors to this part of the Verdala Sculpture Garden to explore inner peace. The proximity to the ground – they are slightly lower than most conventional benches – is the artist’s way to enhance the connection with the natural surroundings. The stone cross that remains in this area of the garden from what was possibly an old shrine, blends well with the contemplative idea that the artist wants to evoke through the choice of this specific site for her garden creations.
The benches are designed around the aesthetics of the natural decomposition of the leafy surroundings. In the conceptual drawing, rendered by the artist as a 3D design for the sculpture garden’s curators – it is very clear that the artist intended these large-scale art objects to be incorporated into the natural setting, eventually becoming an integral part of the chosen environment as nature takes over the space within which the three- bench structure has been installed. As you come across these three benches shaped like large wilting leaves, you may also get the impression that they have just fallen from a nearby tree and that they can just as easily be blown away, especially on a typical Maltese windy day in autumn or winter. The curved structure and the hollow shapes and patterns on the surface enable rain and dew to flow gently down into the negative space to the ground. This makes for a slightly more practical garden bench arrangement than flat seats as they are less likely to retain wetness on the seating surface.
