#11 ​Whispers and Silence

Ryoichi Suzuki
Japanese

​Whispers and Silence, 2012

Yule marble, 3' x 8.5' x 2.5'

Gift of the Artist

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Since 2010, sculptor Ryoichi Suzuki has served as Assistant Professor of Sculpture in USU’s Department of Art and Design. Located on the plaza on the north side of the Agricultural Sciences building, Whispers and Silence is the most recent addition to the University’s collection of public art. Suzuki carved Whispers and Silence from Yule marble, a type of marble from the Yule Creek Valley in the West Elk Mountains of Colorado. Carving is a subtractive sculpture process in which artists remove layers and pieces of their material to create the final work. Suzuki completed the sculpture at USU with help from his students. It took them three months to carve the 7,000-pound sculpture, which is on a granite base. The artist’s friend Thomas Schroder named the sculpture Whispers and Silence and often remarked how Suzuki’s work expressed calm and quiet feelings.