Ning-Hui Chung

Thomas Doyle’s Cleave is a small mixed-media sculpture enclosed within a circular glass dome. Inside this fragile sphere, fragments of houses and familiar objects appear broken and reassembled, as if memory itself has been split apart. The dome functions like a frozen lens—preserving a moment of rupture while keeping it distant and untouchable. Its textures and fragments evoke both delicacy and quiet tension, creating a poetic atmosphere that feels intimate yet unsettled.

This piece closely relates to my research on memory, trauma, and miniature sculpture. The glass dome becomes a vessel of remembrance, where domestic fragments symbolize loss and survival. Its small scale reflects my interest in intimate forms that carry emotional depth. The sealed structure makes viewers feel simultaneously close and distant, mirroring how traumatic memories can be recalled yet remain unreachable. Doyle’s approach inspires me to explore how fractured, enclosed architectures can act as metaphors for disrupted family histories. Cleave reveals how miniature, poetic spaces can hold both presence and absence—inviting viewers to witness memory as something fragile yet enduring.

#miniature #memory #trauma #poetics #containment

Image credit:

Doyle, Thomas. 2012. Cleave. Mixed media, 16 × 14 inches (diameter). Distillation series. https://www.thomasdoyle.net/distillation/cleave/

Written on: 3 August 2025