Lunar Drift: Sun and Moon Pointers by Rebecca Cummins and Paul DeMarinis (2014)

The Lunar Drift: Sun and Moon Pointers is a sculpture that attributes to three parts. With the authorization from the Washington State Arts Commission in partnership with Western Washington University, Rebecca Cummins and Paul DeMarinis brought this sculpture to life in 2014. When creating these pieces, the artists were looking to expand on the “sculptural, experiential, and sometimes humorous possibilities of light and natural phenomena with time and memory as embodied in the technological acts of recording and replaying.” At the same time, “emphasize the spatial and physical aspect of time in unique ways.” By combining these visions, the art offers the viewer an increased awareness about their own temporal place within the universe, no matter the time of year. The mediums used are electronics, metal, glass, digital prints, and acrylic.

Vitrines

This part of the sculpture is the kinetic centerpiece. It was created with the intention that it changes over time, in other words, it’s always moving. There are two enclosed boxes in between the south and west walls. Inside the boxes are arrows that always point to the moon and the sun from that location. One has an arrow that points to the moon, and the other has an arrow that points to the sun.

“This part of the sculpture is kinetic, and that is really fascinating to me. I am fascinated by the ever-changing properties. It puts my time and place into perspective in relation to the galaxy. When I found out the indoor sculpture we were assigned was located in the communal space in Miller Hall, I was confused because I never realized that there was a sculpture there. It’s interesting to me that we can walk by something hundreds of times and not notice it until the moment we actually take the time to observe, participate, and understand our surroundings. I am reminded to stop rushing from place to place, and instead, observe my surroundings that is accompanied by a moment of reflection.” -Angela Hope

West Wall

Consists of pictures of the moon for every day of the year that are raised off the wall by panels. The moons are arranged in chronological order, each row representing one month and each column a day of the week. This piece is the biggest of the three parts of Lunar Drift. The panels that raise them off the wall allow them to cast shadows throughout the day, adding to the theme of passing time.

“When looking to the west wall, there is an intense feeling as I see the days I spent studying, hanging out with friends, feeling joy, happiness, and heartbreak simplified into these pictures of the moon. This reminds me how I’m not actually alone and how my experiences are not the only ones out there. I think about all the memories I have being reduced to these simple pictures of the moon and how everyone experienced the same days of the year as I did, even though we all had different experiences. At the end of the day, we are all looking up at the same moon, and for me that evokes a sense of comfort. I may think I lead a stressful and difficult life, but mine is not the only one as there are others out there living their lives alongside me.” -Caitlyn Rainer

South Wall

The third component to this sculpture is the south wall. The images are of the sky in Bellingham. The vertical column represents a month, and the rows are of the average light for each month at 4 different times of the day. Another fascinating thing about the sky images on the wall is that they are raised from the wall so that their shadows change throughout the day.

“As I walked close to the sky images, I began walking back and forth from one side to another. I could feel the fast change in seasons as if it was reality because as a student, my year goes by quickly, feeling as if fall quarter was only a month ago. It reminded me that as a student, we lose track of time when we’re focused on the constant due dates for assignments, gathering with friends, and everyday responsibilities. Realizing to not be bogged down from the negative events that impact my life and just look forward to the next day because the sun will rise again, like the blue skies depicted throughout.” -Tuesday Villanueva

Credits

Created by Angela Hope, Caitlyn Rainer, and Tuesday Villanueva

Sources

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