Astronomy by Day (and Other Oxymorons)

Description: The artwork is a a 40-foot-square video projection piece, on the east wall of the library’s atrium between Levels 6 and 9. It consists of a series of computer-generated, three- dimensional objects viewed from a continuous forward tracking shot that moves almost imperceptibly in space. The seamless video loop is about an hour in length.
 

Viewers will feel as if they are moving through a line drawing of a city made up entirely of everyday objects such as pencils, books, wineglasses and lamps. The objects are drawn in subtle shades of gray, lending a strange dimensionality suggestive of ancient and hyper- futuristic visions. The images float through a plane that continuously fluctuates between very flat and deep space. Lines, webs, lattices and varying densities of faceted clusters hint at the architectural strata and “skin” of the Central Library building. Horizon lines are inscribed on the drawing, which create a sense of perspective. As Hill says, the artwork will create the sense of going “around the world passing through things.” Movement through this landscape of objects can be seen as a metaphor for the explorations that take place in a library.

Location: Central Library, 1000 Fourth Avenue, Seattle WA 98104