Minnesota Gateway Landmark
Collaboration between sculptor Constance DeJong and Antoine Predock Architect
Minneapolis, Minnesota
2005/2006

Planets, stars, in fact all cosmological phenomena visible to the unaided eye in the night sky, are hidden from view in the light of day. Within the monument focused at the day chamber, one is presented with an inversion of the dayís light into stellar constellations. The sun rays, cast upon the overhead Cor-Ten plane, are focused through perforations and form points of light that reproduce and refract the day sky as it appeared on the founding date of the University. This date, February 25, 1851, is contained within the context of a historic human scale and through the expression of the monumentís design, is drawn into the vast scale of celestial time. The position of the represented constellations and its animate nature derives from the sunís path over the course of the day.

The pattern mapped on the chamber's lid duplicates the founding dateís sky at noon, 45† 7' N, 93† 38' W at 830' above sea level. Aligned to the sun's position, the chamber orients itself to the local Meridian and its peak with the skyís Zenith, the starsí Magnitude varying from 12 to ñ2.

As day becomes night, the exterior Cor-Ten planes project the night sky of the founding date using lighting from within the structure. The West and East Blades juxtapose the night sky of the founding date with the present sky, acknowledging the University of Minnesotaís inception and continuing vitality as an institution of learning. While the Magnitude of the constellations along the blade is slightly greater than that of the vision of the unaided eye, -2 to 6.5, the Milky Way reaches to Magnitudes of 12. Each blade revolves 180† within its planar surface, from Meridian to Meridian, with a maximum local Altitude of 20†, allowing the gaze to change on approach as if to realign with time past.