Oriah Rapley’s sculptural practice can be interpreted as a continuous refinement towards the purity of form. Rapley experiments with motifs such as the feather, waka and bird to meditate on the interconnected elements of movement and exploration, and the ways in which these journeys may empower and transform us. 

Carved from what was once an interior architectural pillar, Marble Bird Goddess carries its own object history and is in itself an example of physical change; metamorphosing during the six months Rapley spent carving and polishing the marble from a timeless structural form into a watchful and mysterious figure. 

As Rapley describes: “Marble Bird Goddess is a guardian of the trees, a silent sentinel standing with strength, courage and grace. I like to think that she functions a little like a mirror, that people will see these qualities reflected in themselves.”