These concepts and drawings were created by Gerard during early 2001 in preparation for his collaborative exhibition with Huang Chih-Yang "Corporeal (exchange)". The exhibition "Corporeal (exchange)" was held in New York City from Nov. 3rd until Nov. 28th, 2001 at "White Box - The Annex", located at 601 West 26th St. The exhibition was presented by CrossPathCulture NYC in association with "White Box - The Annex" New York.

Gerard's healing crutch-tree rises up out of the cauldron displaying Huang Chih-Yang's digital recordings of germs in the exhibition "corpoREAL exCHANGE".

Gerard wanted to make a serious comment on the notion of healing. When he was invited to exhibit with Huang Chih-Yang of Taipei City by Cannon Heresy, CrossPathCulture's (CPC) Executive Director, he felt that this would afford him the perfect opportunity to make such a body of work. Gerard's concern was that this work not be misconstrued as facile, "sappy" or a platitudinous statement similar to a Hallmark Card. He knew that by working with Huang it would add the edge which would justify the work and give it an axis outside of the mainstream. Huang Chih-Yang's work has dealt with organic or natural forms for many years and Gerard felt the tension between his form giving would add an extra dimension to the installation they would create together. Neither artist was asked or given a particular mandate for the show by CPC and so they were free to make what would later become a synergetic work created from two separate entities. We have included some examples of concept works and maquettes which serve as studies below; to see and read more on this collaborative project please visit the lobby.

Through Gerard's drawings we can see his intent of letting paradox display the "human condition". He uses a symbol of the broken and elevates it back into a form or icon for healing. The crutch which normally props us up when our ability to ambulate has been hampered, is now turning back into a living tree: from which the original wooden crutch was made of. Such elegant simplicity creating a deep and complex set of paradigm shifts, both as form and as an allegory. Like Aaron's rod growing leafs in the desert, so does Gerard's crutch return back to a living tree signifying life and rebirth.

There are many drawings and rubbings which were made in advance of Gerard's actual creating the physical sculptures. Below you can see just a few. These works were not exhibited in the exhibition because of concerns for space and clarity in his joint work with Huang Chih-Yang "The foREST". As you will see they are nevertheless very much a part of this body of work.