A Question of Balance

A Question of Balance by Portland sculptor Phil Seder is a striking meditation on harmony, weight, and time. The piece is structured around a tall upright and sturdy feet crafted from old-growth fir, timber that once grew in Oregon’s coastal range and was later salvaged after the Tillamook Burn of the mid-20th century. Rising from this history-laden foundation, a gracefully bent oak arch extends outward, carrying on one end a heavy sculptural bell and, on the other, a pair of counterweights reclaimed from an old window casing. This equilibrium of mass is both literal and symbolic, embodying the delicate negotiation between opposing forces that governs both the natural and human-made world. The fittings and hardware, largely hand-forged, underscore the tactile honesty of the materials and the artist’s reverence for traditional craftsmanship.

The bell itself is textured with raised pictographs that depict a sun on one face and a moon on the other, tying the work to the enduring cycles of day and night. This celestial duality deepens the sense of balance—between light and darkness, presence and absence, sound and silence. The contrast of forged iron, weathered fir, and living oak creates a dialogue between resilience and renewal, permanence and transformation. Whether silent or rung, A Question of Balance engages the viewer with its quiet reminder that equilibrium is not a static condition, but an ongoing, shifting process.