Islands, Yards, Worlds, 2004
INSTALLED AT THE FRANCONIA SCULPTURE PARK
29836 ST. CROIX TRAIL
SHAFER, MINNESOTA 55074
Islands, Yards, Worlds, 2004
Installed at the Franconia Sculpture Park, Shafer, Minnesota
Wood, concrete, paint, plastic, and audio
Designed in response to the game of tennis and the beginning of the war in Iraq, this sculpture focuses on the boundaries and divisions between two identical sides. Each fence in this sculpture was sixty-feet long. Starting at six-feet high, the top level of the fence remained horizontal while bottom was cut to fit the hill. The result was a bridge that as one ascended the fence shortened allowing one to see the other sides of the fence.
At the center was a concrete table with a game of checkers in play; however, this checkers game has all grey game pieces making it difficult to know who is winning. Lastly, while at the table, an audio can be heard from the fences playing the sound of a tennis match as the ball bounces back and forth over the net.
Franconia Sculpture Park is the pre-eminent, artist-centered sculpture park in the Midwest. Founded in 1996, Franconia provides physically and intellectually wide-open spaces that inspire new ways of thinking through access to contemporary sculpture, installation, and land art. Located in the scenic St. Croix River Valley of Minnesota, Franconia operates a 50-acre outdoor museum, active artist residency program, and a depth and breadth of community arts programming for a diverse and engaged public.