Interval of Tanit 1987

Curator: So this striking monument is called "Interval of Tanit," a 1987 carving by Douglas Abdell. It’s rendered in what appears to be stone. What’s your immediate take? Editor: It’s wonderfully austere. A real statement in monochrome. Looks like something unearthed from an ancient site—sort of timeless and haunting, like a minimalist monolith whispering secrets. Curator: That’s quite astute. Abdell frequently drew inspiration from ancient cultures and alphabets in his work, using abstracted symbols. This sculpture explicitly evokes Tanit, a Phoenician goddess of fertility and the moon. Editor: The symbols are fantastic. Almost like an alphabet waiting to be deciphered. That looping figure eight pops up repeatedly—almost like an infinite echo. Does it have ties to Tanit? Curator: Yes, Abdell associated these glyphs with her cult and power, imbuing the sculpture with layered historical and symbolic meaning. Its emergence occurred within a late 20th-century art world increasingly fascinated with revisiting archaic forms. Editor: It hits you on a visceral level. Makes me think about rituals, lost languages and gods fading into the mists of time. There’s something simultaneously imposing and mournful about it. Curator: Considering Abdell's background and artistic influences, it's compelling how he synthesizes cultural motifs to spark conversations around the intersection of civilizations and visual semiotics within a modernist framework. Editor: You know, for me, this isn't about analyzing so much as feeling. It's a monument not to answers but to the unending human need to ask questions about what connects us across eras, or where do those roads begin, or end? Curator: Very true; thank you. A provocative piece, it provides insight into cultural memory in contemporary carving practice. Editor: Totally; plus it would look just fabulous in my garden. Thanks for bringing it to life!