Sean Noyce

As a complement to my sculpture, 45.381620, -92.707344 (Astral Passage), I conducted a ritualistic performance that focused light energy to manifest intentions for the year. The performance was set in motion on Saturday, June 17, at Franconia Sculpture Park, and lasted approximately 15 minutes.

The performance began at 9:15pm, sunset local time, with a slow, droning sound emanating from a nearby speaker. I then emerged from the shadows, holding a mirror gazing ball and placed it upon the disk at the center of Astral Passage. Katya Usvitsky soon followed, and positioned herself at an easternmost point of the sculpture. 60 other viewers also began their clockwise march around the piece, as those who wished to participate in the ritual were advised before the performance began.

As I recited a verse from a spell book, I spun the disk at the center of Astral Passage, while Katya illuminated one of 12 high-powered flashlights, which were perched on 5-foot-tall metal rods and distributed around the piece. Each light was pointed toward the mirror globe at the center, bouncing the light back outward from the focal point.

As the performance progressed and more lights were activated, the audio also intensified with each verse.  

After each light was illuminated, Katya triggered them to pulse as strobes — signaling a climactic end to the performance. I then raised my hands to the sky, expressing my gratitude to our ancestors for their role in the ceremony, and returned to the shadows.