About the Event
Celebrate new artwork on campus!
Martha Tuttle’s site-specific installation for the Rice University campus is inspired by the Ursa Major constellation. Composed of seven banners mounted on poles scaled to the average height of the human body, the installation is arranged on the lawn in a pattern that evokes the stars that form this asterism, also known as the Great Bear. Each banner displays a photograph of the Houston sky taken at the moment before dusk.
Combining celestial images with original writing, the work explores how stellar patterns have inspired and impacted fields such as mythology, navigation, astronomy, and astrology, and their cultural legacies. The poetic phrases, written by the artist as open questions, reflect diverse subjects including motherhood, protection, beauty, and banishment. Despite the vast spaces invoked by the open arrangement of the poles, the installation offers moments for intimacy and meditation.
