SERIES: as Above, So Below
About this Series
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, about one hour north of St. Paul, MN.
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. 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.
The principal source of inspiration for my series As Above, So Below has been the Western United States landscape. It’s easy to be seduced by its awe-inspiring beauty. However, my travels across the country have yielded there is much to love across all regions — including the Great Plains. The St. Croix River Valley’s subtle terrain, including residual from the last ice age, abundance of water, and endless grasslands are of interest.
By using locally-sourced materials, including native sod, rocks, and plants, Astral Passage will be a model for both sustainability and environmental sensitivity that uses a low-carbon footprint. The work will live harmoniously and unobtrusively with the Prairie Grasslands, while gently aligning with naturally-occurring hills, stream beds, and marsh depressions.
The interactive quality of Astral Passage provides an opportunity for the public to engage with the work in a simple yet gratifying way — the act of spinning a wheel is one that most people enjoy, as its repetitive motion activates sensations of touch, sight, and sound. It also yields a setting to meditate, pray, invoke, or cast a spell — if the viewer chooses to do so — much like a Tibetan prayer wheel.
Although the presentation is minimal — and at times esoteric — most will infer the importance of ritual, meditation, and mysticism in the piece. Its familiarity is due to its relative ubiquity: the sculpture is based on sources that are common throughout many civilizations, including the ancient earth mounds found around the world (Newgrange, Ireland; Cahokia, Illinois; Kofun, Japan; Rujm el-Hiri, Israel); Bernini’s colonnades in St. Peter’s Square (Italy); and 20th century planetarium star charts.