"Time Dilation" | Alaskan Bull Moose
Pyrography, Oil Paint, and Watercolor on Cabinet grade Maple plywood
96 in x 48 in x 1.25 in (244 cm x 122 cm x 1.27cm)
The Moose in "Time Dilation" came to Alex in a dream. While running a fever of 101, Alex was slipping in and out of consciousness. Amazing visions and colors stuck in his mind like scenes from a movie you just can't get out of your head. Although this piece is static, for Alex, the vision in the dream was quite animated. The lying Moose and the grass continually slid towards him, but he passed through it as if he were a ghost.
After each Moose, there was another, and another, and as they approached, the speed became faster and faster. As the mirage accelerated, he noticed that he was drifting to the left. Beyond the edge of the grass, there was a vast void of nothingness. The space seemed to extend forward infinitely. He couldn't control this drift and the dream began to turn into a nightmare. Thousands of Moose passed by him for what seemed like eternity, and as they passed, he drifted closer and closer to the edge.
As he was just about to cross over the boundary, the whole scene instantly stopped and everything became completely motionless. Even the blades of grass became still. It was at this moment that the Moose in front of Alex turned his head and looked down at a deer skull placed in the grass beside him. From behind the skull, a caterpillar emerged. It crawled up one of the antlers and attached itself securely underneath. With great speed, a chrysalis was formed and a butterfly emerged. It broke free of its bindings and glided softly onto the hip of the Moose. Everything was still except for the slight flutter of its wings. After a moment, the butterfly took flight, and as it did, everything slowly began moving forward again.
Then Alex woke up.
The Visualization of the Dream
Watch as Alex Kuhn creates "Time Dilation" and shows what it was like to be inside the dream