Star Axis
is an architectonic earth/star sculpture constructed with
the geometry of the stars; earth-to-star alignments built
to human scale. It offers an intimate experience of how
the earth's environment extends into the space of the stars.
This architectonic earthwork has five main elements.
The Solar Pyramid marks the daily
and seasonal movements of the sun across the Shadow Field.
From inside the Hour Chamber
you can view one hour of Earth's rotation, and from inside the
Equatorial Chamber you can observe
the stars that travel directly above the equator.
The Star Tunnel is precisely aligned
with Earth's axis. Here the viewer can walk through layers of
celestial time, making directly visible the 26,000-year cycle of
precession, Earth's shifting alignment with the stars
The sculpture's name refers to its primary earth/star alignment.
It is precisely aligned with Earth's axis, which now points
toward our north star Polaris.
The
approach to building Star Axis
involves gathering a variety of star alignments occurring
in different time scales and allowing them to form the architecture.
Star Axis was conceived
in 1971 and is presently being constructed on a mesa in
New Mexico. At its outside dimensions, Star
Axis will be 11 stories high and 1/10th of a
mile across.
