1989-91. Aluminum, granite, stainless steel. Dimensions: 12 × 30 × 45 in (30 × 76 × 114 cm).
Commissioned by the Super Computer Research Center and installed in Bowie, MD just outside of Washington, DC. The work is a sundial and solstice calendar with the unique feature of a correction analemma which compensates for the difference between local solar time and Eastern Standard Time. Located at the entrance of the building, the hour dial and calendar features can be seen and enjoyed from many locations inside the building.
In SCR Sunwork John Van Alstine expanded the concepts first explored in Solstice Calendar at Austin College. Designed for one of the nation's leading scientific research institutions, the sculpture functions simultaneously as monumental public art and a celestial instrument. Through the movement of sunlight and shadow, it records the changing seasons, inviting viewers to experience the ancient rhythms of the sun within the context of a cutting-edge center devoted to scientific discovery.
The commission reflects Van Alstine's enduring belief that art and science share a common pursuit—the search for meaning through observation, curiosity, and discovery. Inspired by prehistoric observatories such as Stonehenge and the ceremonial architecture of Mesoamerica, SCR Sunwork transforms a contemporary research campus into a place of reflection, reminding us that long before computers and satellites, humanity looked to the sky to measure time and understand its place in the universe. The project further established Van Alstine's Celestial Works series, leading to later commissions including Artery Sunwork, 2nd Street Sunwork, and Via Solaris.
MORE INFO: SCR Sunwork chapter in AMERICAN MONUMENTS
1989-91. Aluminum, granite, stainless steel. Dimensions: 12 × 30 × 45 in (30 × 76 × 114 cm).
Commissioned by the Super Computer Research Center and installed in Bowie, MD just outside of Washington, DC. The work is a sundial and solstice calendar with the unique feature of a correction analemma which compensates for the difference between local solar time and Eastern Standard Time. Located at the entrance of the building, the hour dial and calendar features can be seen and enjoyed from many locations inside the building.
In SCR Sunwork John Van Alstine expanded the concepts first explored in Solstice Calendar at Austin College. Designed for one of the nation's leading scientific research institutions, the sculpture functions simultaneously as monumental public art and a celestial instrument. Through the movement of sunlight and shadow, it records the changing seasons, inviting viewers to experience the ancient rhythms of the sun within the context of a cutting-edge center devoted to scientific discovery.
The commission reflects Van Alstine's enduring belief that art and science share a common pursuit—the search for meaning through observation, curiosity, and discovery. Inspired by prehistoric observatories such as Stonehenge and the ceremonial architecture of Mesoamerica, SCR Sunwork transforms a contemporary research campus into a place of reflection, reminding us that long before computers and satellites, humanity looked to the sky to measure time and understand its place in the universe. The project further established Van Alstine's Celestial Works series, leading to later commissions including Artery Sunwork, 2nd Street Sunwork, and Via Solaris.
MORE INFO: SCR Sunwork chapter in AMERICAN MONUMENTS
