Angela Bulloch Ursa Major Minor, 2021
LED lights, blue felt, aluminum frame, mounted on freestanding column
400 x 66 x 66 cm (157 1/2 x 26 x 26 in)
Drawing on the beloved constellations of Ursa Major and Ursa MInor—The Great Bear and The Little Bear—this work is an exceptional sculptural iteration from Angela Bulloch's body of work known as Night Sky. The works of the Night Sky series are complex LED pieces that can be hung on the wall or ceiling and that convey an animated image of the night sky. The blue background of the work is filled with numerous programmed LED lights, placed according to the pattern of a galaxy or constellation. Gently flickering, the points of light simulate the changing starry nightscape. Night Sky works are prepared using a program that maps the positions of the stars visible from the earth in a 3D virtual model of the universe. The artist selects an existing area of the sky but displaces the viewpoint away from the earth elsewhere in the universe, thus the final image represents the real stellar order but shown in a way that will not be seen in this way from the surface of Earth.
Both Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are constellations in the northern sky that were first catalogued by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century. Ursa Major, meaning “the great bear,” or “the larger bear,” in Latin, is the largest northern constellation and third largest constellation in the sky. Its brightest stars form the Big Dipper asterism, one of the most recognizable shapes in the sky, also known as the Plough. Ursa Major is well-known in most world cultures and associated with a number of myths. In Greek mythology, it is associated with Callisto, a nymph who was turned into a bear by Zeus’ jealous wife Hera.
Ursa Minor—the constellation’s name means “the smaller bear,” or “the lesser bear,” in Latin—contains the famous Little Dipper asterism. Ursa Minor is also notable for marking the location of the north celestial pole, as it is home to Polaris, the North Star, which is located at the end of the dipper’s handle.
INSTALLATION SPECIFICATIONS:
– The work can be installed as a 4m freestanding column, or mounted on an existing column, as at Esther Schipper November 2021.
– Electrical wiring should be hidden.
Both Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are constellations in the northern sky that were first catalogued by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century. Ursa Major, meaning “the great bear,” or “the larger bear,” in Latin, is the largest northern constellation and third largest constellation in the sky. Its brightest stars form the Big Dipper asterism, one of the most recognizable shapes in the sky, also known as the Plough. Ursa Major is well-known in most world cultures and associated with a number of myths. In Greek mythology, it is associated with Callisto, a nymph who was turned into a bear by Zeus’ jealous wife Hera.
Ursa Minor—the constellation’s name means “the smaller bear,” or “the lesser bear,” in Latin—contains the famous Little Dipper asterism. Ursa Minor is also notable for marking the location of the north celestial pole, as it is home to Polaris, the North Star, which is located at the end of the dipper’s handle.
INSTALLATION SPECIFICATIONS:
– The work can be installed as a 4m freestanding column, or mounted on an existing column, as at Esther Schipper November 2021.
– Electrical wiring should be hidden.