From the traditional folk song "John Henry" to Fritz Lang's classic German film "Metropolis," the "man vs. machine" polemic has long fascinated artists. Modernism itself partly sprang from this same debate over the role of technology and it's effect on the human condition. It originally had a celebratory tone, which began to sour after the simultaneous rise of mass production and mass destruction.

Tim Curtis' sculptural works and installations address a similar theme, but function on the more basic level of examining the volatile relationship between the organic and the inorganic. And much to his credit, Curtis' approach and technique are refreshingly deft and original.

Many are familiar with Curtis from his MetroLink installation at the Convention Center station. Several of the pieces in this show use a similar thematic device of a wooden vessel, suspended in midair. The resulting works are surreal combinations of historical artifact and modern design: hand-carved wood contrasts with smooth steel, metal grid work envelopes a primitive craft.

Curtis' works are surreal combinations of historical artifact and modern design: hand-carved wood contrasts with smooth steel, metal grid work envelopes a primitive craft.

The wooden vessel reappears in a piece that resembles and ancient ceremonial altar. The work-in-progress also features burning candles that send wax flowing down a six-foot pedestal, a manmade allusion to natural processes such as lava flow and erosion. A similar effect takes place in a walk-though room Curtis assembled for the show.

Consistently Curtis uses simple devices to connote a larger message. In one piece (all the works are untitled) a chunk of driftwood is meticulously etched with a calculated grid pattern. In another, a tree trunk is wrapped from top to bottom with a vine made of steel. Eventually the tree will rot away, leaving only the inorganic vine to remind future viewers of the life form that once existed. The same will happen with the impressive steel-covered tree trunks that dominates the exhibit.Rife with references to mythology, religion and timeless concepts (the vessel as symbol of journey through life, the symbiotic relationship of creation and destruction). Curtis' work is theoretically dense and open to wide interpretation. Above all else, it is jarring.

Our society has a history, however false, of looking to the organic as the ideal, from Jeffersonian agrarianism to the modern-day practice of heading to "the country" to clear our heads. When he encases a piece of nature in welded steel, Curtis throws our romanticized image on its ear. It's a powerful moment in a powerful show.