A Journey of Self Transformation & The Double Bent Plane

10/1/2025

A six-piece sculpture collection by Flavius Pisapia

The Double Bent Plane as Sculptural-Spiritual Element
In this sculpture series, I have made extensive use of the double bent plane as a sculptural element. The double bent plane represents a three-dimensional geometric form that Rudolf Steiner identified as having profound spiritual significance for understanding the human condition. It consists of two curved surfaces that bend in opposite directions, creating a complex spatial relationship that mirrors the forces acting upon humanity. In Steiner's cosmology, this form geometrically embodies the human being's position between opposing spiritual forces—Lucifer (upward-tending, spiritual excess) and Ahriman (downward-tending, materialistic excess). Christ represents the perfect balance point, and the human being strives to find this center (1). As I work with the opposing curves, I experience how they create a dynamic equilibrium that becomes both an artistic exercise and a meditative practice, embodying how we navigate between these polarities in our quest for wholeness. I see the balancing principle as the Christ / Logos with its three impulses: Truth, Health, and Selflessness.

Truth in Relation to the Double Bent Plane
The hyperboloid, or double bent plane, represents a profound mathematical truth with deep implications for human understanding. Through my practice, I've learned that it's a ruled surface that can be generated entirely by straight lines moving through space, containing two families of straight lines that intersect to create the curved surface. When I worked with clay exercises exploring this form, I experienced firsthand this remarkable property—how opposing forces create unity, how straight lines representing linear, rigid structure generate a curved surface representing organic, flowing form. This principle connects to the Christ impulse of truth, revealing through my hands how the human being can bridge material and spiritual realities, finding the point where mathematical precision and living wisdom unite.

Health in Relation to the Double Bent Plane
The double bent plane embodies health as humanity's living, dynamic process of finding balance. Just as this geometric form holds two opposing curves in perfect tension, I've discovered that human health requires ongoing navigation between the Luciferic pull toward spiritual dissociation and the Ahrimanic pull toward material hardening. As I sculpt these forms, I feel the Christ impulse of health working as the great harmonizer, showing humanity the middle path where these forces meet in creative equilibrium. Working with the double bent plane through sculpture has trained my human capacity to hold complexity, work creatively with opposition, and find the living center that represents our true nature between extremes.

Selflessness in Relation to the Double Bent Plane
The double bent plane reveals the profound nature of human transformation through the Christ impulse of selflessness. Each curve bends away from its natural tendency, and in my sculptural practice, I experience how humanity must learn to navigate between Luciferic self-aggrandizement and Ahrimanic self-negation. Through patient work with this form, I've learned that true human form emerges only when we surrender and sacrifice our pull toward either one-sidedness to create something greater—a balanced, integrated self. This has taught me that the human path is not about eliminating our dual nature but about its transformation, where individual will learns to find the Christ center, creating wholeness from the tension between spiritual aspiration and earthly embodiment.

"The Representative of Humanity", wood sculpture, 1915-1922, Goetheanum, Switzerland, by Rudolf Steiner and Edith Maryon (2)

Rudolf Steiner's "The Representative of Humanity" is a monumental wood sculpture created between 1915 and 1922, which depicts Christ standing between the forces of Lucifer (over expansive, spiritual forces) and Ahriman (too contractive, material forces), representing humanity's struggle for balance. The original wood carving was saved from the 1922 fire at the first Goetheanum, and can be seen today at the second Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland. The sculpture's creation involved Steiner and English sculptor Edith Maryon, who worked from numerous preliminary models to develop the final design.

A Journey of Self Transformation - Sculpture Series

This profound sculpture series traces the essential stages of human consciousness and growth, from the first spark of awareness to the full flowering of personal manifestation. Each piece serves as both an individual meditation and part of a larger narrative about human becoming—offering mirror and map for the inner journey we all navigate.

Self Aware