A blue/pink plate of anodized aluminum sanblasetd with cloud-like marks sits above a blued steel plate with similar sandblasting. In the top right corner there is a darker spot of blue that resembles a moon. The ambient light that reflects off this piece changes the brightness and tone of certain areas.

DEVIN FARRAND

Horizon (Full Moon Night), 2024

Anodized aluminum and blued steel
30.5 x 48.5 x 1 in
77.5 x 123.2 x 2.5 cm

A defined blue dot in the top left corner of Devin Farrand’s Horizon (Full Moon Night) (2024) embodies the techniques of his craftsmanship. When anodizing aluminum, a sheet is held by two clips as it is immersed in the tank of sulfuric acid electrolyte as an electric current is passed through the fluid. A stronger current passed through the spot where the clip held the aluminum, leaving behind a brighter spot. Though precisely planned and requiring multiple skill sets, suppliers, and fabricators, Farrand prefers to leave many aspects of his work up to chance—marks that reveal the methods of these industrial techniques (the blue mark) and the unpredictability of determining exact colors or patinas (the black oxide coating of blued steel) are welcomed as inherent and intrinsic aesthetics. In a final romantic gesture, the light-absorbing blued steel in Horizon (Full Moon Night) helps the brilliant, anodized aluminum sky to appear as if illuminated from above.