Open-air sculpture // Architectural land art, Franconia Sculpture Park, St. Croix Falls, Shafer, MN, USA, 2019
A hayfeverish and idiosyncratic interpretation of a Confirmation ritual, SKEPTICKLE takes the form of a massive, partially sunken, skep-like mound, situated at the centre of a wildflower-meadow-labyrinth at Franconia Sculpture Park. Beyond the burrowed entrance, ascending stepping stones encircle the body of a dead birch tree. Cemented into the netherworld this axis-mundi stretches to a skylight at the top of the structure. The encircling stones lead up to a window at the back of the tomb revealing the entrance to a secret garden. The garden features crumbling statues, remnants of the archetypes. The only remaining head of these silent idols is sewn with seed from the meadow. SKEPTICLE was supposed to come to life over the coming years, being reclaimed by the wildflower meadow and offering a quiet sanctuary to anyone brave enough to traverse the underworld. However, it was consumed in flames before its first spring. The fire, along with flight restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, disabled my return to perform a sight-specific and interactive play.
