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Constellation - FA

A new constellation rises over the Hudson River: 50 miles north of NYC, a public art project transforms a castle ruin into an experience for today’s explorers.

Constellation - FA

A new constellation rises over the Hudson River: 50 miles north of NYC, a public art project transforms a castle ruin into an experience for today’s explorers.

1 Campaign |

Beacon, United States

$17,021 USD 146 backers

21% of $80,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

Story

FAQ

Updates 4

Comments 4

Nestled improbably on Pollepel (or Polopel) Island, in the middle of the Hudson River, are the ruins of a castle. The image of this decrepit landmark, in sharp relief against a natural landscape that is still very much alive, evokes a sense of lost time, decay and otherworldliness.

CONSTELLATION, a major new public art project by internationally recognized artist Melissa McGill, will transform this ruin into a poetic and poignant experience for today’s explorers. The large–scale sculptural installation brings together light and form, and connects history to the present day. Small solar powered LED lights atop a series of 17 slender, tapered aluminum poles will be installed at heights ranging from 40 to 80 feet. Hovering around the perimeter of a castle ruin, these points of light refer to features of a structure still standing, as well the structure that once was. For approximately 2 hours each night, as the sun sets, a new constellation will merge one by one with stars in the night sky.

Reaching further back into the past, CONSTELLATION references a belief of the Lenape, the indigenous / native Americans of the area, of Opitemakan, the “White Road” or “Milky Way” connecting our world with the next.

CONSTELLATION’s premiere date is planned for June 2015. Its projected lifespan is 2-3 years. A companion book will be published, excerpts from which will be used in audio guide that is being created for the installation by a 6-time Grammy-winning digital publishing producer.

Melissa McGill draws attention to what could be called "found space." Working primarily with preexisting images and objects and the space within and around them, she renders these hidden voids into sculptural form. CONSTELLATION is Melissa's largest public art installation to date and invites a large and diverse audience to engage with this abandoned place in new and unexpected ways.

CONSTELLATION celebrates the natural beauty of the Hudson Valley and synthesizes the region’s potential for more interactivity with it. The installation, set approximately 1,000 feet from the Hudson's shoreline, will have many vantage points on both sides of the river -- in Putnam, Dutchess and Orange counties. Many more people will be able to view CONSTELLATION from north and southbound trains, several nearby hiking trails, roadways, and by boat and kayaks.

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Choose your Perk

Regulus

$25 USD

Help raise the stars!! Have your name associated with 4 "community stars" and be named as a supporter on the Constellation website.

36 claimed

Pollux

$50 USD

Receive the above + A personal Constellation Thank You mailed to you

15 claimed

Antares

$95 USD

Receive the above + a limited edition Constellation glass votive holder. When the candle is lit, the image glows softly while the laser-cut stars shine above the castle ruin.

50 claimed

Altair

$500 USD

Receive the above + Hold the illuminated view in your hands! Receive a limited edition artist postcard signed by Melissa McGill, with an image of the island and castle ruin with a laser-cut Constellation transforming the two-dimensional into a luminous experience when held up to the light.

3 claimed

Arcturus

$750 USD

Introducing a new mid-campaign perk : a limited edition 17” x 24” archival pigment print by Melissa McGill titled “Island Negative.” The mysterious yellow highlights are forsythia, the first sign of spring on Pollepel Island.

0 claimed

Rigel

$1,000 USD

Receive the above + Be named as supporter of Constellation on the website, all marketing materials, documentary film credits, and book publication.

5 claimed

Capella

$2,500 USD

Receive all of the above + For the true adventurer, a unique hands-on Hudson River experience! Embark on a guided kayak tour of the river and surrounding waters of the Constellation site. Enjoy paddling in the most majestic part of the Hudson River with its breathtaking landscape and experience stunning up-close views of Constellation. Provided by Storm King Adventure Tours.

0 claimed

Vega

$5,000 USD

Receive all of the benefits at the $1,000 level + Embark on a sunset boat tour for a close-up and intimate view of Constellation. Watch the lights emerge, point by point, with the stars of the night sky on the Hudson River.

0 claimed

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