Octopus is a limited edition bronze sculpture by Kirk McGuire

McGuire on his project:

There are hundreds of cephalopod species around the world. This is my interpretation of the largest species known: Pacific Giant Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini). Recordings show it reaches 600 lbs. At least 100 of the cephalopod species have three hearts. They are all amazing and as fluid as the oceans in which they live. They are intelligent with a highly developed brain and acute vision, and are masters of camouflage.

From Julian Voss-Andreae’s 2009 - 2010 exhibition Quantum Objects. Voss-Andreae’s exhibition had a rather lofty goal: “My hope is that the unique ability of art to transcend the confines of logic and literal representation and to offer glimpses of something beyond can help us open up to a deeper understanding of the world and to wean ourselves from the powerful grip classical physics has had over the last centuries on our every perception of reality.”

About this specific piece:

The Platonic solids are five mathematical objects that have a particularly high degree of regularity. Known for thousands of years, they are named for the ancient Greek philosopher Plato who theorized that the classical elements were constructed from these regular solids. I fabricated the five Platonic solids out of bronze, the material of classical sculpture, and collapsed them by suctioning the air out of them. To me, Collapsed Platonic Solids provide a tangible illustration of the breakdown of superseded theories. In the sense of sculpture theory, the collapse turns the pure mathematical from a simple constructive object into an organic one with a vastly higher degree of complexity.