Board of Ten

Photo: Karl Spreitz

Date: Through the 1960s.
Size: Various, to H: 13” (Holy Man, Model)
Form: Group of figures
Material: Bronze

From left to right: Place of the Oracle · Sacerdos (Man with a Flat Hat) · Infanta · Holy Man, Model · Sacrifice · Ceres · Akimbo · Amulet Priestess (at back) · Maiden of Cnossus · Dignitary.

History

Over many months, Elza and sculptor Bob de Castro played chess with the developing Board of Ten, moving pieces around and changing them, until the final ten were set and fixed onto the board.

The Board of Ten was donated to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria in June 1969, graciously received by Gallery Director Colin Graham.

Reverberations:

In April 2022, the AGGV mounted an unusual exhibition pulled from the Gallery’s permanent collection. Several “artists, makers and creators” were invited to select work from the collection that they “felt a resonance” with, and to create a work of their own that related. Composer and musician Anna Hostman chose the Board of Ten.

A separate room was set up as a sound studio. The sculptures were placed on a slowly revolving floodlit table, accompanied by Hostman’s taped composition. Six musicians were involved, using Voice, Viola, Piano, Electric Guitar, Musical Saw, and Cornet. An audio-video recording was made.