Inspired by an English legend of a place known as The Silent Pool in Kent England, many centuries ago, a lady drowned in this pool and to this day the woods surrounding it are hauntingly silent. The woman, while bathing, was pursued by a passing man on horseback. She backed further and further into the water and as it got deeper she lost her footing. She drowned while the man watched. His desire to obtain her beauty was so strong that he harmed and destroyed it. During my creation of this installation the death of Diana Princess of Wales occurred. This tragic event became an additional source of inspiration. The correlation between the legend and the death of the Princess is fascinating. In an attempt to obtain a portion of her, society ended her life. Beauty, internal or external, a curse.

 

Rust has exhibited this installation in its entirety and in selection sections. Though the inspiration remains the same, the groupings’ content and meaning modify based upon the symbolic meaning the viewer brings to the piece.