Charlemagne Water Clock (Waterclock I-III)

Trained in philosophy, archeology, and art history, Philip Larson uses the visual vocabulary of architecture and design to inform his sculpture and graphic art. His work usually features iconic architectural elements reconfigured into novel permutations of geometric form. These design elements range from ancient Egyptian and Native American glyphs, to Prairie School, Art Deco, and Postmodern ornamentation. Through a process of appropriation and transformation, Larson invests these decorative motifs with symbolic and emotive value. In reconfiguring these motifs, he stresses their aesthetic and conceptual characteristics as formal visual systems.