Once someone came up to the oh-so dandy J. McNeil Whistler and exclaimed that they were both from Lowell and just a year apart – he was 68; Whistler, 67. To which Whistler replied - for all to hear, of course - “Very charming! And so you are 68 and were born in Lowell. Most interesting, no doubt, and as you please. But I shall be born when and where I want, and I do not choose to be born at Lowell, and I refuse to be 67!”
In fact Whistler once state in a court of law that he was born in St. Petersburg.
And so for those who, likewise, wish to born when and where they please:
(model for) REMOTE CONTROLLED STARS or HOW TO CHANGE YOUR DESTINY By Mary Sherman Dimensions: 14”x 6 ½” x6 ½”, plexi-glass. LEDs, motor (some circuitry), paper
The piece is a model for a proposed public art work - remote controlled shooting stars - sited for Saairnen's MIT Chapel. The proposed remote controlled stars would extend Saarinen's reflections of the Chapel’s skylit moat (and the twinkling effects of Harry Bertoia's sculpture) long into the evening. And-for those who believe in astrology-allow us to play gods by re-arranging the heavens and, by extension, our destinies.
How it ‘works’/To Wish upon a Shooting Star: A black plexi-glass box suggests a dark night sky. Through a slit in the box, a model of Saairnen’s MIT chapel is visible underneath a starry sky. With the push of a button, one of the stars shoots to the ground, granting the viewer their wish.
Please note: Although I give e-flux all rights over this submission, this does not extend to the piece itself, which I retain the copyright.
Once someone came up to the oh-so dandy J. McNeil Whistler and exclaimed that they were both from Lowell and just a year apart – he was 68; Whistler, 67. To which Whistler replied - for all to hear, of course - “Very charming! And so you are 68 and were born in Lowell. Most interesting, no doubt, and as you please. But I shall be born when and where I want, and I do not choose to be born at Lowell, and I refuse to be 67!”
In fact Whistler once state in a court of law that he was born in St. Petersburg.
And so for those who, likewise, wish to born when and where they please:
(model for) REMOTE CONTROLLED STARS or HOW TO CHANGE YOUR DESTINY By Mary Sherman Dimensions: 14”x 6 ½” x6 ½”, plexi-glass. LEDs, motor (some circuitry), paper
The piece is a model for a proposed public art work - remote controlled shooting stars - sited for Saairnen's MIT Chapel. The proposed remote controlled stars would extend Saarinen's reflections of the Chapel’s skylit moat (and the twinkling effects of Harry Bertoia's sculpture) long into the evening. And-for those who believe in astrology-allow us to play gods by re-arranging the heavens and, by extension, our destinies.
How it ‘works’/To Wish upon a Shooting Star: A black plexi-glass box suggests a dark night sky. Through a slit in the box, a model of Saairnen’s MIT chapel is visible underneath a starry sky. With the push of a button, one of the stars shoots to the ground, granting the viewer their wish.
Please note: Although I give e-flux all rights over this submission, this does not extend to the piece itself, which I retain the copyright.