Very interesting.

Is it possible to align the sculptures so that the shadows
will combine (a la 1+1=3) to create something new
during the solstice? There is something really special
about seeing man-made objects positioned precisely
in space.

The idea of people gathering outside with warm cups of coffee
waiting to see a moment in time, discussing the the relationships
among the installation, the earth, and the sun sounds like fun.

There may also be interesting lighting opportunities to enhance
the installation during the evening during receptions, etc.

It could be interesting to see the installation from within the building
and reflected off the glass. Have you considered building a
full scale model out of a light-weight material such as bamboo?

Tangents:

Little People - London Street Art
http://little-people.blogspot.com/

Sunpath Simulators
http://astro.unl.edu/naap/motion3/animations/sunmotions.swf

http://dnr.louisiana.gov/sec/execdiv/techasmt/ecep/drafting/d/app-b.htm

The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
http://www.aldrichart.org/about/building.php

-- Tchad (email)

Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum: ET show

Over the years, I have had shows at Artists Space in New York and the Architecture+Design Museum in Los Angeles. In both cases, I exhibited about 20 prints and a few sculpture pieces.

Now the Aldrich Contemporary Art Musuem has invited me to create a major show for 2009-2010. I will have lots of space, including the museum's 1.5 acre sculpture garden for ten months. I'm delighted for this inspiring opportunity.

Here are the dates:

Opening reception: Sunday June 21, 2009, 3.00-5.00pm.

Exhibits in the galleries and on the Main Street frontage: June 21, 2009 to August 30, 2009.

Exhibits in the Aldrich Sculpture Garden: June 21, 2009 to April, 2010.

Here's a description of the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, from their website:

The Aldrich is one of the few non-collecting contemporary art museums in the United States. Founded on Ridgefield's historic Main Street in 1964, the Museum enjoys the curatorial independence of an alternative space while maintaining the registrarial and art- handling standards of a national institution. Exhibitions feature work by emerging and mid- career artists, and education programs help adults and children to connect to today's world through contemporary art. The Museum is located at 258 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877. For more information call 203.438.4519.

The eighteenth-century "Old Hundred" building appealed to Mr. Aldrich because of its high-ceiling rooms and the extensive backyard that would be suitable for the year-round sculpture garden he envisioned. The Larry Aldrich Museum was incorporated as a nonprofit and opened in November 1964 as one of the country's first museums devoted exclusively to the exhibition of contemporary art.

In 1967, the Museum was renamed The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, with an original Board of Trustees that included Alfred Barr, Joseph Hirshhorn, Philip Johnson, and Vera List. Foremost in Mr. Aldrich's vision was that the Museum should make contemporary art accessible to a variety of audiences. Over the course of its forty-year history, The Aldrich has become renowned as a national leader for its presentation of outstanding new art, the cultivation of emerging artists, and its innovation in museum education.

-- Edward Tufte

Scale model of Aldrich Museum

We draped cloth over the model's land to calm down its sharp-edged foam contours. Three pieces are positioned on the museum model: Larkin's Twig, Hogpen Hill #1, and Rocket Science.

-- Edward Tufte

Hyping the size and appearance an object by photo editing

Here are photographs from Sotheby's (Paris) Escalier de la Tour Eiffel,
a brochure pitching the auction of a section of the original Eiffel Tower staircase.
How tall is the object for sale?

Note also the auctioneer's designer application of metallic silver ink in the first few photographs
which contradicts the military gray versions of the staircase in the later photographs.
The metallic silverized photographs present an object that could never be actually seen
as such.









The height of the staircase section for sale is in fact 270 cm (107 in).
The catalog shows several photographs with objects of known size
in the scene (brick wall, overstuffed chair)--but these photographs
fail to show the top end of the piece, a move which visually
suggests that the staircase continues right on up to the sky.

Should there be a class in graphic design ethics in college programs
teaching commercial art?

-- Edward Tufte

Another try at museum sculpture arrangement

Below, there's a new possible siting of sculptures near the Aldrich Museum building.
This assumes we make a big version of the Porta dog sculpture. Between the stainless steel
Escaping Flatlands and the dog sculpture there's also a faint image of the Larkin's Twig model.

Escaping Flatland

Porta, the Dog

Zerlina's Smile

Untitled new piece, under construction

-- Edward Tufte