Vitis, 2018 was named after the plant species responsible for producing most wines in the world, Vitis vinifera. The sculpture is the focal point of a two story underground wine cellar which is also the first wine cellar in the world to be illuminated with wine. I wanted it to appear as if one grape vine had been planted above the cellar and the sculpture would act like a vitrine into its root system. At maturity, grape vine roots reach an impressive 14 feet into the earth in search of nutrients and water which is why I made this sculpture this size.
This hanging sculpture weighs roughly 1200 lbs and contains 13 cases of Sauternes from different decades which gives the progression of colour from top to bottom. The wine was hermetically sealed in 747 linear feet of handblown borosilicate glass to preserve the colour.