The most stable form of the five Platonic polyhedra, the cube was identified by Plato with the element of earth. Here it is placed in the area of the forest where all of the material for the five sculptures was gathered – a symbolic return of the material to its origins, as all living beings will return to the earth. Balsam fir and red spruce grew in quickly and densely here, and then died out, perhaps from a combination of overcrowding and other factors – possibly insect pathogens and a storm, which knocked many out and created chaotic piles of fallen saplings, creating a “pick-up sticks” effect on the forest floor.

Photo by Gina Siepel