A large public auditorium and concert hall in the form of a giant baby head will be installed at the Castle Island monument overlooking Boston Harbor, Boston, Massachusetts. Visitors will climb inside the head using a spiral ramp way in an open rotunda similar to that of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Various openings in the walls (of the head and face) will provide views onto Boston Harbor, South Boston, and East Boston, especially from the eye sockets, the "windows to the soul." The structure is planned to be approximately 90 feet in height, made of reinforced concrete. The continuous ramp leading from the ground floor to the "dome" at the top of the head will provide views of performances and concerts on the ground floor. Light shows on both the interior and exterior faces will accompany night time performances.
Castle Island itself is located in South Boston on the shore of Boston Harbor. It is currently a 22-acre (8.9 ha) recreation site, the location of Fort Independence, and has been the site of a fortification since 1634. Long recognized as a strategic location, and used originally as a British fort, the current structure was built by the United States in 1801. Castle Island was originally some distance offshore, but land reclamation for expansion of port facilities has extended the mainland towards it, and it is now connected to the mainland by causeways. Today it is operated as a state park by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and is open to tours in the summer.
Castle Island has an notable history in art, as well as warfare. Edgar Allan Poe served on Castle Island while in the Army. While there he learned of local lore about an unpopular officer who was walled up in the fort’s dungeon following a duel in which he killed a more popular man. Poe's story “The Cask of Amontillado” is said to be based on it.
A greeting for residents and visitors alike, the giant head would be visible from a mile offshore, reminding all who see it that we are but stewards of the land and ocean for looming generations yet unborn. In a city which prefers representative public art, the giant baby head would be the ultimate, definitive figurative artwork.
A large public auditorium and concert hall in the form of a giant baby head will be installed at the Castle Island monument overlooking Boston Harbor, Boston, Massachusetts. Visitors will climb inside the head using a spiral ramp way in an open rotunda similar to that of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Various openings in the walls (of the head and face) will provide views onto Boston Harbor, South Boston, and East Boston, especially from the eye sockets, the "windows to the soul." The structure is planned to be approximately 90 feet in height, made of reinforced concrete. The continuous ramp leading from the ground floor to the "dome" at the top of the head will provide views of performances and concerts on the ground floor. Light shows on both the interior and exterior faces will accompany night time performances.
Castle Island itself is located in South Boston on the shore of Boston Harbor. It is currently a 22-acre (8.9 ha) recreation site, the location of Fort Independence, and has been the site of a fortification since 1634. Long recognized as a strategic location, and used originally as a British fort, the current structure was built by the United States in 1801. Castle Island was originally some distance offshore, but land reclamation for expansion of port facilities has extended the mainland towards it, and it is now connected to the mainland by causeways. Today it is operated as a state park by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and is open to tours in the summer.
Castle Island has an notable history in art, as well as warfare. Edgar Allan Poe served on Castle Island while in the Army. While there he learned of local lore about an unpopular officer who was walled up in the fort’s dungeon following a duel in which he killed a more popular man. Poe's story “The Cask of Amontillado” is said to be based on it.
A greeting for residents and visitors alike, the giant head would be visible from a mile offshore, reminding all who see it that we are but stewards of the land and ocean for looming generations yet unborn. In a city which prefers representative public art, the giant baby head would be the ultimate, definitive figurative artwork.