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“Objects can be infinitely large in scale so much that they can’t be measured. Conversely, objects can be infinitely small. This sculpture was inspired by attempting to visualize both.”
– Benjamin Caras

Artist’s Statement

As a result of my own early environment and evolution, as an individual and artist, there are two ways in which I strongly relate to the world: one being the natural world and the other industrial processes in which constructs are made. I strive to explore the aesthetic possibilities of metal and wood, particularly in the area where organic form meets industrial design. With these materials, I aspire to integrate a rigorous combination of the man-made and the natural by the textural use of varying solid materials. The design challenge presented by the dual notion of cavity and reinforced structural elements defines an attempt to emphasize the compositional equilibrium that exists between interior and exterior space as proportional to the balanced whole of the form.

I believe that the intricate construction of sculpture is as important a consideration as the exterior object rendered. Since my work is process-based, my own curiosity for the physical and aesthetic possibilities of the medium aides me in the search for a multi-dimensional expression of the varying elements of a sculptural form.

I am driven to create and wonder about structures, as visual, spatial representations of the exterior and interior of life, combining both vulnerability and frailty, and protective, abrasive strength, into something that is both rough and beautiful. Any artistic enterprise I assume must be a challenge to my skills. It is my view that no composition should be purely aesthetic, nor any form of communication purely conceptual. Juxtaposing my professional goals, these materials and ideas, I hope to inspire and create a dialogue concerning the never-ending mutations of form and technology in our contemporary era.

Scaleshift is a visual and conceptual exploration about the size of things.  Objects can be infinitely large in scale so much that they can’t be measured. Conversely, objects can be infinitely small. This sculpture was inspired by attempting to visualize both. Bringing together elements of the minute and the massive. Is it a Monumental microorganism or a microscopic Milky Way? I’m always inspired by my curiosity of things I cannot visualize. Huge or tiny, I make objects that help me understand the world around me; fulfilling my inquisitiveness.

About the Artist

Benjamin Caras is a fine artist, architectural metal designer, and digital fabricator. He received his MFA in Fine Art from the University of Massachusetts. Throughout his life, he has lived and worked in New York City, NY; Boston, MA; Kilkenny, Ireland; and Morgantown, West Virginia. Currently, he teaches design at Northeastern University and digital fabrication at Wentworth Institute of Technology. He is also Co-Owner of Ledgerock Fabricators Inc, one of Boston’s finest metal studios.

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