2008 Eternity (24 Hours of Eternity), Cattai
(Site-specific, private sculptural commission, Rose Park, Cattai, NSW, in association with Andrew Crick)
Commissioner: Brian and Gene Sherman
The ancient Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, said ‘the only constant is change itself’ and Eternity (24 Hours of Eternity) embodies this concept as a sculptural timepiece, referring to the infinite nature of change and the constant passing of time.
Designed around an underlying framework of the infinity symbol, this sculpture comprises 24 separate cylindrical granite pillars that reference the number of hours in a day.
To mark the difference of each hour, the diameter and height of the pillars change in a mathematical progression. As day changes to night, the height, diameter and angled top of each pillar will change to mark a new hour within the 24-hour clock. The unique angle of the tops of each of the pillars means that sunlight will be caught and reflected in different degrees; the noon point is represented by the tallest pillar with a perfect horizontal surface signalling that it is the midday hour when the sun is at its most intense and is directly overhead. The midnight hour is expressed as the largest diameter and is positioned directly underneath the midday hour.
The work references ancient sundials that tell the time via the earth’s transit of the sun. The measuring of time has long marked the rhythm of human life, from the pattern of hours that determine a day, to the calendar year that indicates where exactly the earth is in relation to the sun. The eternal, universal clock of the sun stands to chart the ceaseless passing of time, the continual progression of day to night and back again. It is a reminder that nothing is ever still and that nothing ever remains the same.
Eternity, 2008; South Australian granite, mirror polished and honed; 120 x 231.3 x 333.2cm