Kith & Kin
An homage to James Castle, Kith & Kin by Troy Passey is a testament to Castle's imaginative vision and encourages viewers to be more attuned to their world. These steel and concrete sculptures bring to life Castle's iconic drawings of columnar forms which are often inspired by buildings, trees, and other common objects. Text, patterns, and shapes found on Kith & Kin reference a variety of Castle's artistic styles.
Impressed on these sculptures are the words "silent" and "listen," an anagram referencing Troy Passey's interest in language and James Castle's fascination with text and typography. Silence is a critical, integral, and often essential part of James Castle's story. This understanding inspires us to celebrate stillness, solitude, and awareness as part of the creative process. To listen is to look. According to Geraldine Garrow, Castle's niece, James was "always busy, always looking, and always making." This quote found on Kin celebrates Castle's daily practice and lifelong devotion to making art. With an acute awareness of his surroundings, Castle's work now encourages us to observe and be present.
"Everything changes; everything is connected; pay attention" a quote by the poet Jane Hirshfield is fused to the back of Kith, inspiring the link between James Castle, visitors, resident artists, and this important historical site. The artwork serves to signify the James Castle House, celebrate the unique creative vision of James Castle and aims to generate silence, observation, and curiosity.
The vast majority of the images of the artworks, historical photographs, and other items in the Arts and History Collections are protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights. Any use or reproduction of such images is governed by the City of Boise’s Terms of Use.
The information about each work is published from the Boise City Department of Arts and History’s collection database. Updates and additions stemming from research and image activities are ongoing, with new content added regularly. Every effort has been made to accurately determine the rights status of works and their images. Please contact the Department of Arts and History if you have further information on the rights status of a work contrary or in addition to the information in our records.
