Exploding Orb

A cold, black crust closes off the sphere. I made it as the outside of something that does not stay still within. The surface is matte and grainy, cracked like cooled rock. Yellow, orange and red rise up in the cracks and hollows, and in a few places a shred of gold gleams. Beneath it lies a glow. I show the form at the moment that glow pushes outward: the curve is no longer smooth, the wall bulges and gives way. Primal forces at work.

Come closer, and the sphere falls apart into parts. The black crust consists of grains and small, crystalline points, like burnt tissue that still feels warm. Between them lie smooth yellow planes, matte and almost soft, a red patch breaking through the crust. Gold lies on it, catching the light and throwing it back. Gold accentuates, emphasises, lights up.

On top rests a thin, undulating lid with a ragged edge. On it stands a folded form in orange, red and creamy white, speckled with black and edged in gold. You can see a flower in it, a tissue, or something that is just breaking open. The round form I started with has disappeared. Every dent in the crust and every wave in the lid shows where the force wants to get out. The outside stays cold, the inside keeps pushing.