Untitled Apogee
I have been influenced by the great quantity of church spires penetrating the air throughout the Salt Lake valley, observing higher densities in the cell-like aggregations of newer neighborhoods, anchored as they are by the nuclei of white spires. The intent of this architectural feature is to convey religious or political status and denote heavenward ascension. The aim of traditional sculpture has historically been aligned with such intent, to build upward and give the illusion of the defiance of gravity. My intent is to work with the inverse, to explore the space between construction and gravity. Using information derived from Google Maps, I mark the precise location of 617 steeples of LDS chapels and temples within a defined boundary of the Salt Lake valley. I then extend and amplify these points to ultimately create an inverted topography, negotiating the interaction of cultural landscape and geography. I am inverting the heavenward thrust of the steeple form and anchoring the heavens to the weight of the earth, creating tension and pull between the ground plane and its limits.
Site specific installation at the Projects Gallery of the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art. December 2013-February 2014.