45.382450, -92.704635 (Astral Passage)
300 x 48 x 300 inches
Soil, sod, concrete blocks, bricks, gravel, dresser trap rock, aluminum, brass, and steel with screen print on copper disks
2023
2023 Fellow
45.382450, -92.704635 (Astral Passage) is an earth and metal sculpture that creates a space for contemplation and ritual, blending seamlessly into the St. Croix River Valley meadow. The sculpture consists of a 5-foot-wide disk made of aluminum, copper, and steel that sits on a pedestal of trap rock and bound by a 2-foot-wide gravel walkway. The disk is screen-printed with computer-generated drawings and perforated with a star chart marking the day of completion: July 21, 2023. Additionally, the work can be activated by spinning from one of the four knobs positioned in each of the cardinal directions. The disk is girdled by a 4-foot-high x 12-foot-wide (30-foot-wide diameter), sod-covered, c-shaped berm, and bisected by an access path that connects to the disk.
Viewers can access the disk through an opening in the east that follows the direction of the rising sun. Once inside, the grassy berm provides a slight break from the wind and noise, like a protective bubble, while offering a space to sit down or recline in contemplation. The reflective copper draws the viewer’s eye downward while opening a reverse picture plane to the sky above, expressing the harmonious relationship between celestial and terrestrial entities. Astral Passage creates a sacred space for viewers to inhabit a temple of their choosing while conveying the importance of harmony within a delicate ecosystem.