The installation is a 12 ft. tall wooden egg sculpture. The egg stands atop a steel tripod 20 feet off the ground. The egg is burned to reveal a steel bird who raises his head and wings to assume a triumphant pose. The piece is entitled, The Phoenix, after a long-lived bird that is cyclically regenerated or reborn. Associated with the sun, a phoenix obtains new life by arising from the ashes.
One night, the sculpture is set ablaze in a pyrotechnic performance to expose the steel bird whose head and wings swing upwards as the restraining egg is burned away. The Phoenix is created from the ashes of the burning egg. It symbolizes regeneration, rebirth and renewal.
The wings and neck of the Phoenix pivot on three separate fulcrums and move upwards as the sides of the wooden egg are weakened by fire. The counterbalanced wings swing upward amidst the flames making the total height of the piece over 40 ft.
