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I'LL TELL YOU HOW THE SUN ROSE

1977

15 feet x 23 ft. x 6 ft. 
Dismantled by the Artist in the 1990's

NNT_sunrise_A_460_edited.jpg
NNT_sunrise_blueprint_B_460_edited.jpg

 Blueprint for I'll Tell You How the Sun Rose
      Reverse Ozalid Print   ©1978 
                         24 inches x 36 inches -  Unlimited Edition          

I'll Tell You How the Sun Rose moved through a 24-hour cycle.  The artwork presented an imaginary, incorrect explanation of the natural phenomena that creates the Earth’s daily cycle of sunrise and sunset.  As the mechanical assembly slowly teetered, a circle of light expanded on the floor until the sculpture reached its apex and began a slow descent.

"...a heat, wind and time construction which rises and falls in a 24 hour cycle and is named for the poetry of Emily Dickinson."
Margaret Shearin,  Triad Style Magazine.

This sculpture was based on a 1972 sculpture by the Artist entitled Umbrella Piece (see slideshow).

Note: The title, I'll Tell You How The Sun Rose, is taken from a poem by that name by the poet Emily Dickenson.

I’ll Tell You How the Sun Rose has been exhibit at:
O.K. Harris Gallery, New York City. 1977. 
Rutgers University Gallery, New Brunswick, NJ. 1978.
Fine Arts Gallery, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC. 1978.
Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, NC. 1991.
Technorama Museum, Winterthur, Switzerland. 1993.

Technical Explanation:
The piece was essentially a giant balance scale. Air heated by six 150 watt electric heat lamps located within the luminous "lamp shade" spun a small propeller as it rose through an upper opening. The whirling fan drove a complex train of gears and chains to ultimately move a chain-mounted weight. As the weight moved it effected the delicate balance of the entire piece. The ends of the long arm of the counter-weighted assembly gradually rose and fell in a 24-hour cycle.  The sculpture moved so slowly that even this inefficient method of turning electricity into motion provided sufficient energy to animate the piece. 

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