Devin Farrand
Horizon (Deep Blue), 2023
Anodized aluminum and blued steel
30.5 x 48.5 x 1 in
81.3 x 121.9 x 2.5 cm
Aluminum anodized to an inky, dark blue hovers above a slender blued steel ground in Devin Farrand’s Horizon (Deep Blue) (2023). A black oxide coating traditionally used by machinists to prevent corrosion on custom tools and firearms, bluing is economical and aesthetically pleasing. The blue-black finish is created by immersing steel in a solution of potassium nitrate, sodium hydroxide, and water, until a blue-ish oxide film appears. Mysterious and quiet, this blue-black horizon arouses the sensation of standing on the shore of a moonlit lake—a horizon that never ceases to inspire yet can never be reached.