Located behind the Communications Building in south campus, Manus by Magdalena Abakanowicz sends out a discrete but powerful message to its viewers about how they are all connected to nature. At first glance, it may seem like a strange sculpture of a dead tree, but the shape as well as the location tell a much deeper story.

If you look closely at the sculpture, you will notice that there are five branches, like fingers of a hand. This style was intentional, as sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz tends to make her sculptures biomorphic. The tree can also be seen as a hand, reaching out to the sky. This could represent the students of Western in their growth during college life. Since it combines nature with human characteristics to create something more interesting than either alone, it could be seen as saying that a students interaction with nature serves to enrich their life on campus.

The location of the sculpture also adds to the meaning of the sculpture. Manus is located in south campus where campus gradually turns into the woods. Abakanowicz wanted this sculpture to link student life to nature, so putting the sculpture in that specific location established a bridge between the two.

Looking deeply into the sculpture as a whole, it seems that Magdalena Abakanowicz is telling us that students of this campus will always be interlaced with nature. It also lauds the benefits of such a relationship and suggests that for a student at Western, a relationship with nature is as natural as nature itself.

Credits:

Yumi Shridhar- Admin, research

Alex Martz- Media, research