| Perpetuity | |
| Artist: | Alexander von Svoboda |
| Type: | Sculpture |
| Material: | Bronze, redwood |
| Height Imperial: | 10 |
| Width Imperial: | 10 |
| Length Imperial: | 3 |
| Diameter Imperial: | 32 |
| Metric Unit: | m |
| Imperial Unit: | ft |
| City: | Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Owner: | World Forestry Center |
Perpetuity is an outdoor 1970 sculpture by Alexander von Svoboda, located in Portland, Oregon.
Perpetuity is a sculpture by Alexander von Svoboda, completed in 1970. It consists of a bronze "seedling" inside a hollowed-out cross section of a 350feet, Giant Sequoia tree.[1] [2] The seedling is suspended by bronze shafts that pierce the wood and extend several feet beyond, creating a "sunburst" effect.[1] The sculpture measures approximately 10feet x 10feet x 3feet, has a 32feet diameter, and weighs 13.5 tons.[1] [2] It rests on a concrete base which measures approximately 85inches x 38inches x 38inches. The Smithsonian Institution categorizes the piece as abstract and allegorical ("time", "eternity").[1]
According to Svoboda, the work symbolizes "growth, regeneration and the perpetual cycle of life".[2] Smithsonian offers the following remark by Svoboda: "This is perpetual, the beginning and end of life, or to say it another way, there is no end and no beginning..."[1] The sculpture was surveyed and considered "treatment urgent" by Smithsonian's "Save Outdoor Sculpture!" program in 1993.[1] By then, the sculpture was owned by the World Forestry Center and installed in front of its Merlo Hall, having been donated by Standard Insurance Company.[1]