“The rose's rarest essence lives in the thorn.”

Rumi

The sculpture  is diachronic interpretation of the twelfth century Persian poet, Rumi. 

In the tradition of English literature the sculpture  has a protagonist but with antiheroic characteristics. The protagonist of this story is human with two character flaws, which are anthropocentrism and existentialism

Anthropocentrism  has empowered us to think we are the center off the universe and subsequently better than everything else such as birds, shoes, doors or even the toilet bowel, which we have skillfully made out of planet earth.

As defined by Sartre, existentialism is state where existence precedes essence and is  the hallmark of human‘s invention. This effectively has altered the nature of human being to human doing.  In addition, existentialism has also given rise to new form of demagoguery that is hiding behind democratization.

The poem has  ten distinct different meanings, from which nine of them were implemented in the sculpture. The independent loop represents some of them.

Interpretation of the poem as seen in the sculpture

• • Take pleasure in pain.

  • Life has pain as well as pleasure. Don’t run away.

  • It take hard work to get to the  good part of life.

  • Love hurts

  • The emphasis is on the word “rarest”. Essence implies fewer thorns. This is a modern way of staying positive and removes anything negative. (Existentialism )

  • The downward directional character of thorns could have possible meaning.

    • • Seek root to address the  source of disconnection  (none – anthropocentric, none -existentialist, but  spiritual)

      • The wizard of oz  interpretation ( If you don’t find happiness  where you are , you probably cannot find it anyplace else) (anthropocentric / existentialist )

      • Thorn has supporting role . If it wasn’t for thorn, we wouldn’t have rose. This could lead to 2 different interpretations.

        • • • Codependent in pop psychology or psychoanalysis.  The takers, who think they are giver. (anthropocentric / existentialist )

            • altruistic compassion In Buddhist tradition .( none – anthropocentric, none -existentialist, but  spiritual none )