Christopher Martin’s The Vertical Dimensions… (2025, Mixed Media Sculpture) continues his exploration of sculptural text as a vessel for philosophy, merging poetic reflection with bold material form.

The piece features a white sheet pierced by Martin’s signature black arrow, anchoring the phrase: “THE VERTICAL DIMENSIONS…” Though fragmentary in tone, the words gesture toward transcendence, suggesting the unseen heights and depths of human experience—dimensions beyond the flat horizon of ordinary perception.

The arrow, sharp and commanding, reinforces the notion of verticality. It acts as a directional force, pulling the viewer upward and inward simultaneously, embodying the tension between the earthly and the transcendent. Its intrusion transforms the phrase from abstract idea into a physical event—an awakening made material.

Typography remains bold and unornamented, a hallmark of Martin’s style. The stark black text on white ground offers no distraction, echoing the purity and austerity of the thought it conveys. The minimalist composition leaves space for contemplation, allowing the phrase to expand into meaning beyond its immediate form.

In The Vertical Dimensions…, Martin turns language into a meditative portal, inviting reflection on the higher planes of being—spiritual, emotional, and psychological. The work functions as both object and invocation, urging viewers to look beyond the surface and to recognize the layered depths that structure existence itself.

11in x 8.5in x 17in
Ink on Paper + Wood Arrow