Ursula von Rydingsvard's Cedar Behemoths

Ursula von Rydingsvard was born in Germany, but has worked for most of her life in New York. Much of her work consists of large, interlocking pieces of cedar, pieced together into massive structures. Her work has a remarkable weight and presence to it.

Scale is a vital element in von Rydingsvard's work. She explains: "The whole basis of scale is in relationship to the human size. Even when it’s outdoors, it’s in relation to the human size, but also in relationship to what surrounds it. In scale it’s incredibly important outdoors to have a presence underneath the sky, underneath the sun, and I never, ever think of competing with what nature does in any way. But I do try to hold my own with the surroundings, to have a presence in the context of the surroundings."

The rich textures and sense of enormity in von Rydingsvard's work is powerful.