A human skeleton in solid graphite as a metaphor for the frailty of existence

Agelio Battle, a multidisciplinary artist from San Francisco, has sculpted a life-size human skeleton from solid graphite.

The sculpture, which reproduces anatomical details in great detail, is not really meant to serve as a visual aid in a science class. The art object, titled Ash Dancer (can be translated as dancing ashes), is placed horizontally on a high-frequency vibrating table covered with white corduroy paper. When the device is turned on, the graphite human skeleton begins to shake, bounce, and move from side to side, leaving its own contours on the “canvas,” resembling abstract drawings. The drawing continues until the “self-writing pencil” collapses and turns into a pile of black raw fossil material.

The author claims that his work is an artistic metaphor for the frailty of existence. Let us say that the postulate does not shine with novelty.