Installation has begun on a 70-foot-long, 32-foot-high sculpture that will arch over the circular drive in front of the Greensboro Science Center (GSC). The GSC will remain open and accessible during installation.
The sculpture was created by Baltimore artist David Hess, who was selected by the Public Art Endowment (PAE) to create an iconic piece for the entire community to enjoy.
Margaret Benjamin, Chair of the Public Art Endowment Steering Committee, said, “The intention of this unique collaboration between the GSC and the PAE was meant to highlight how art and science are intertwined, a symbiotic relationship that has produced some of the most exciting, thought-provoking, and visually pleasing sculpture in the world today. David Hess’ sculpture Relativity is intended to engage viewers’ imaginations and symbolize a spirit of discovery and learning.”
About the Sculpture
Relativity, constructed of Alloy 316 Stainless Steel, took Hess seven months of design and 11 months of fabrication to complete.
When asked about his inspiration for the piece, Hess said, “Our perception of time and space is continually changing. As a species, Humans have always been motivated by our sense of wonder. Using the paradigms of Art and Science, we navigate the great mysteries of our existence.”
“With the most powerful electron microscopes, we study infinitesimally small particles called Quarks (.000000000000000043 centimeters). Space telescopes enable us to observe vast Galaxies 13,400,000,000 light-years from Earth (a light-year is 5,879,625,370,000 miles). These tools give us perspective on our place in the universe, between the Microcosm and the Macrocosm.”
“Similarly, our study of Science, enables us to imagine the immense duration of billions of years of Geologic Time and the fleeting nature of a nano-second. We reside somewhere on this time continuum, between the permanent and the ephemeral.”
“Places like the Greensboro Science Center remind us that we are here at this moment, at this place, only once.”
The Public Art Endowment (PAE) was established to preserve and extend the sense of community through commissioning installations of aesthetically and culturally significant works of public art. The PAE benefits from strong partnerships and collaborations with other local organizations including the Greensboro Science Center and the City of Greensboro.
The collaboration between the GSC and the PAE meets the common goal of placing public art that benefits Greensboro’s cultural and economic landscape and for the creation of a public work of art that represents how science and art are so important in our lives. While most of the public art in Greensboro centers around the downtown area, this project spreads the considerable impact of public art to other areas and populations of Greensboro while honoring the importance of the new Battleground Park District and the GSC’s central role in this revitalization effort.
The GSC and PAE are grateful for the numerous donors throughout the community – without whom, this sculpture would not have been possible.
Greensboro Science Center 