Rooted Alchemy
An intuitive sculpture series by Pops K. Ümlang.
Triptych of suspended sculptural forms from the Rooted Alchemy series.
Some ideas grow as roots do. They creep in slowly, twisting around the conscious mind until they nestle somewhere deeper — patient, waiting, winding. This series is rooted in that alchemy. A bend in the wire, a wrapped seam, a frayed thread pulling you both, fragile and odd, somewhere strangely familiar.
Rooted Alchemy sculpture with branching thread and organic forms.
As a fine artist, my sculptural practice is deeply intuitive. Often reaching for remnants that carry texture and wear, and playing with papier-mache. But this exploration started loosely, working through small gestures with delicate materials. Wrapping scraps of fabric, fastening wire, layering thread, binding with care, and then assembling in abstract.
Where we arrived was somewhere lighter and stranger than my previous works, more suspended. The sculptures, airy and vaguely botanical, move between the surreal and speculative, but share my foundational ethos of giving familiar materials unfamiliar forms.
Victorian hand collage connected by tangled thread.
the process
For me, the handmade process of sculpture is a meditative act, something to occupy my restless energy and let my mind find some peace. There was something calming about wrapping wire and cord. Like the phrase wringing my hands finally found its purpose. The kindness that soft compression can offer when something delicate is trying to hold itself together.
Collage combining classical portrait imagery with Rooted Alchemy sculpture.
Later the delight came through, the forms taking on this vaguely botanical presence, a lunar garden if you will. The whimsical detailing of hand-sewn leaves and ripped edges of eyelet lace. But as cosmic as the destination was, the journey was slow and methodical. Like a long drive along a scenic route, not quite sure where you'll end up.
the materials
Material study featuring tangled cord.
The process is intuitive and exploratory, and the materials decide how it's going to grow and what it will become.
When you wrap a wire in cord, the tightness of the coils pulls and bends the semi-rigid filament, like the twisting and turning line of a plant’s root. Where thread ran out and was tied off, the line split — like thinner roots spreading out from a thicker branch — thin lines growing in shape through the negative space as they spread out.
An old linen shirt. A vintage tablecloth, stained. Eyelet trim, too precious to waste on the wrong project, and this turned out to be exactly the right one. Its natural scalloped edge already mimics that leafy botanical top — long, voluminous, doubling over under its own weight. Each leaf, stitched by hand, shaped by the scraps itself.
Texture studies from materials used in the Rooted Alchemy series.
The pale palette heightens that tension. White, ivory, and soft gray materials can read as tender or ghostlike, but up close they reveal texture, residue, knots, seams, and irregular surfaces. Their damage and softness remain visible, as we learn to be open in this season of becoming.
The work is reciprocal. Without imposed form, the wire tells you where to bend. The knot tells you where to branch. The frayed edge of a scrap tells you the margin of the leaf.
the themes
Altered portrait collage with suspended thread forms.
Reflecting on the work, I find the instability and fragmentation my generation inherits — a desire for tenderness within environments that often feel temporary or emotionally unsteady. An instinct to find meaning amidst a mess.
Where wrapped wire repairs and patched fragments improvise, the surfaces retain evidence of handcraft and accumulation. Rather than concealing fragility, the work lets uneven textures and exposed seams speak — embodying the ambiguous space between collapse and becoming.
Layered collage with silver bowl and suspended sculptural form.
the evolution
This shift in my sculptural practice has been experimental and deeply rewarding. While my previous sculptures found their form through shape and bulk, this was an exploration of line in three dimensions and of crafting negative space for a more airy, cosmic presence. I’m drawn to their tension, this breathable balance between delicacy and endurance.
In this series, branching out became an offering. We’re all unfamiliar forms craving a strange sense of belonging. But there’s something so necessary about the resilience we find from softness, play, and improvisation.
Rooted Alchemy sculpture with branching thread and organic forms.
These works are part of an expanding sculptural series within my fine art practice, continuing my interest in reclaimed materials, softness, world-building, and emotional survival. The pieces pictured here have recently been submitted for exhibition consideration, and I'm continuing to expand the series through new material studies, suspended forms, and reclaimed-object experiments.
