Acclaimed earth artist, Lita Albuquerque will create a temporary installation called South Pole Stellar Axis on the McMurdo-area sea ice. The installation involves mapping stars on the ice directly to the skies above. Blue reflective disks of various sizes will be used to create the star map. The size of the disk will correspond with the brightness of the stars and the shadows will demonstrate the motion of the sun. This is a two-part project in that a similar installation was created at the North Pole. The project will "offer the public a glimpse of the realities of time and space on a human scale, to develop a visual language that brings the stars to Earth and celebrate our connection to the cosmos". The artist will spend two weeks in the McMurdo area creating and recording the installation with her crew. This installation will "symbolically link the terrestrial with the celestial" by creating a large-scale "earthworks" installation. The artist is an arts educator who teaches graduate and high school students and designs and teaches courses that integrate science and scientific research into art. Upon completion of this project, the artist will develop a course about Antarctica and the science for the Art Center College of Design (Pasadena, CA) that will allow students to assess their impressions of Antarctica by translating scientific concepts through art. She will also create an exhibit of photographs taken during and after the construction of the project that will be shown in galleries and discussed via public lectures. A website detailing the creation of the project will also be made available to the public. Accordingly, many high visibility institutions and media outlets have expressed an interest in supporting and publicizing the project. For more information about the artist and her work, visit: www.litaalbuquerque.com/home.html.
