Concept

John Henry has a long-standing interest in the concept of works of art encompassing a large tract of land. The idea of bringing together monumental works in such a way that they conceptually interact with one another is an open door into the roots of his own sculpture. The works will be sited throughout the state; separate yet connected, distant yet tied together by their continuity of form, scale, balance and tension. Each individual sculpture acts as an invitation to experience the next. Each exhibition stands alone and yet is interacting across distance and movement between the past, present and the future.

Why Florida?

John Henry feels a strong personal affinity for the state, due to the many years he lived and worked in South Florida. Florida also presents a unique environment for geographic and cultural reasons. The fact that the state is a peninsula with two coastlines on separate major bodies of water gives rise to John's fascination with the ability to watch the sunrise on one coast and set on another. This concept is an integral part of the objective of visualizing the separate sculptures as a unified work of art.

The landscape in Florida creates a perfect setting for large-scale sculpture. Sweeping vistas of sky and water are part and parcel of the Floridian visual vocabulary and the ideal backdrop for monumental works of art as well as a repeating touchstone for John's creative process.

"Each sculpture is part of a continuous sentence, all referencing one another, each an individual part of a greater whole. In many regards it may be seen to be all one work! It is very much about the process of working together to extend the influence of a particular part of a visual vocabulary."

-John Henry

Drawing in Space: The Peninsula Project participating cities.