The Oocyte Cantata in 12 Movements

Binding - Unique with mini concertina structure

Materials - Japanese paper lined quail egg shell covers, paper hinges, black walnut wooden bases and rice paper book contents

For millennia man has been fascinated by eggs as the crucible from which life emerges. As aptly stated by scholars centuries ago “Omni Vivum ex Ovo” – all life comes from eggs. It is the egg, the most remarkable of cells in nature, which contains the blueprint instructions to create a new individual once its developmental potential is unleashed by a sperm. Development proceeds through an intricate choreography, more complex than a Balanchine ballet, to create a new individual. This piece highlights the wonder and mystery embodied in the “blueprints” of development encoded in the genome housed in the DNA of the egg. Each “booklet” of the 12 in this work has a quail egg shell as the cover and emanating from it a mini-accordion book with information about the genes, programs and features of different aspects of development. Each booklet presents different facets of development of the various organs and tissues. Collectively I hope they instil in the viewer a sense of wonder for life and the marvels embodied in eggs.

A limited edition of Oocyte Cantata is available for purchase by special order at Erwin.Huebner@umanitoba.ca