damage & repair

i returned from an artist residency on the east coast to find stone #5 face down in the mud. it appears to have been hit by a vehicle, but no one knows for sure. i contacted merlino const. to craft a suitable repair. working collaboratively with seattle parks and arts office, we decided to replace stone #5 completely using stone #11 which has been held in reserve. here are pictures. and yep, you can still sight through it.


stone 5 damage

proximity to roadway.

break at the top of the set pins.

remaining portion was jack hammered.

set pins exposed.

kenny operates backhoe while gordy aligns stone.



epoxy injected into pin holes.

kenny and gordy lookin' good.

installation complete.

straight shot in the news

ART SHOT STRAIGHT THROUGH THE PARK
richard seven - seattle times, 30 may 07

AIMED AT THE PUBLIC
charlene peters - marblehead reporter, 02 aug 07

THE SURVEYING INSPIRED ART OF PERRI LYNCH
gavin schrock - american surveyor, nov 07

around the world in 24 stones

greetings from the baseline. almost one year has passed since the installation of stones #1-10 & 12. at this moment, phase II construction in magnuson park is upon us. berger partnership has designed a beautiful network of trails, wetlands and space for stone #11. local surveyors have recertified the baseline to within 1/10th of a millimeter! if ever there were a known kilometer in the world, this is the one!

so, here's a thought. what if "straight shot" marked not just this kilometer...but a long string of kilometers from british columbia to mongolia, to antarctica, easter island and mercer island?. what if we were to continue the doubling distance between the stones and wrap the artwork around the world? what if?

STRAIGHT SHOT!

thanks to gavin schrock for getting up way early to take this picture

WHAT: OFFICIAL DEDICATION OF THE ARTWORK
WHEN: THURSDAY - 07 JUNE 2007 - 10:00A
WHERE: N47 40.438' W122 15.104'

the artwork now has a name and a place, and a party! "STRAIGHT SHOT" will be officially dedicated on thursday, june 7. please come celebrate! a map to get there is attached below, coordinates are above. press release and other details will be posted in the coming days. hope to see you on the 7th!

magic markers

installation is now complete for stones #1-10 and #12. pictures are below. yesterday, we had a wrap-up meeting to close out this phase of the project. gavin schrock, guy michelson, jon jainga, kim baker, and i met to review details and make plans for the installation of stone #11 (autumn 2007). we stayed on track through most of the meeting, but then drifted into musings on names for the artwork that are a little more zesty than "sightline: standing stones" (boring). my favorite was "magic markers". :) so..below are some images of the completed work with a title below, to try on for size. feel free to send me an email to cast your vote...or if you have any suggestions for a name, i would love to hear your thoughts.



"LINEHENGE"


"WALK THE LINE"


"LINE OF SIGHT"


"THE TWILIGHT STONES"


"STATION MARKER"


"FORESIGHT/BACKSIGHT"

dawn 'till dusk

it was a long day out in the wind and rain today. i'm not going to write much more except that it pleases me to no end to report that all eleven stones are now installed (the final stone will be installed in autumn 2008). our next work day will be tuesday, 09 JAN 07. we will finish grading and landscaping at that time. here are some shots from today:



7:30 - eric and maestro set stone #8



9:20 - stone #8-9 across the great meadow



10:05 - excavation for stone #12 on the sports meadow



14:19 - backfilling stone #7



15:08 - final grading - stones #1-4



17: 19 - maestro calls it a day

mission impossible?

i can honestly say that i didn't think it could be done. i didn't really think that the eye holes would line up. a series of 1,200 lbs. stones, each with a 2" eye hole, in such perfect alignment that one can peer through the stones, over the course of one kilometer end to end??? the holes were drilled in china. the footings were cast in renton. the survey was done two weeks ago and the site here in seattle is a soggy mess. with so many variables, i didn't think we had a chance at nailing the sightline, but maestro, eric, and brian made a believer out of me today. with a little jostling, shimming, nudging, and prodding, stones #1-6 are aligned, sealed and set. one can sight clear through from ten feet away or more. i am awed and amazed.

tomorrow we plan to set stones #7-9, excavate/install #12, and begin backfilling. all is on schedule. here are some pictures:


epoxy applied to rod supports


stone #1 lowered onto rod supports


unhook...


maestro takes a look...


nudge, shim, shim, nudge...


maestro takes another look...


the view through stones #1-#6


brian sets rebar for the concrete collar.

so far so good

the crew made great progress today. stones #1-6 are aligned and in place. i spent most of the morning coating exposed surfaces with anti-graffiti sealant while eric, brian, and maestro set the stones and aligned the eye holes. here are some pictures, beginning with yesterday's installation of stone #10 at the 150 marker: