Scribing the Void

Scribing the Void is a monumental sculpture transcribed from the iconic Umpire Rock in Central Park. It was originally installed at ODETTA Gallery in Brooklyn, New York and suspended in the exact north-south orientation, level line, and elevation, as it would sit on the boulder. In 2016, the sculpture became an acquisition at the COACH flagship store on Fifth Avenue and 54th Street.

The scribe line was achieved after multiple trips to the site. I methodically traced and cut the shape of the boulder’s surface onto chipboard templates, resulting in 82 linear feet of a single contour line. This line was then copied onto the wooden superstructure that was transported and reassembled at the gallery. The composer RSM (Rodrigo Guzman) was invited to create a score that was composed by placing the scribe line of the boulder onto a musical sheet, effectively writing the song of the rock. RSM then used the transcribed notes to write and record the composition. The Byzantine-inspired sounds of piano, violin, drum, and voice permeate the empty space.

A recent pilgrimage to Mt. Kailash in western Tibet inspired much of the conceptual thoughts behind the sculpture: materiality versus immateriality, questions of time and space, and perceptions of memory beyond the familiar senses. The scribe line represents the divide between spirit and matter; the line between birth and death. Scribing the Void speaks of the loss of our connection to nature, community, and ancestry, separation from our inner lives, and the mystery of existence.