Straight Shot

On Thursday, June 7 at Magnuson Park, Seattle, Washington, the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs in partnership with Seattle Public Utilities dedicated "Straight Shot," a piece of public artwork that highlights the Sand Point Calibration Baseline. The artwork by Seattle artist Perri Lynch is a procession of 12 standing Ink Jade Limestone™ monoliths fabricated by Yellow Mountain StoneWorks. These monoliths run parallel to Seattles original survey calibration baseline.

"Everything we build or measure needs a ruler," says Gavin Schrock, a surveyor and analyst for SPU. "And we have to make sure all those rulers are the same length. Whether you measure with lasers or satellites or whatever, you have to make sure they all measure the same thing, and that is what the calibration line is about."

The accuracy of the Sand Point line is said to be within half a millimeter. Historical surveying equipment dating back a century was displayed along the line during the dedication. The stones are perfectly aligned, along a one-kilometer course that runs north-by-northwest across the park. Two circular holes drilled through each stone invite visitors to peer through, creating a framed perspective of the surrounding elements of the park. The sight line offers a straight shot, thus the artwork's title. Sighting through the stones, the viewer will have the experience of making a targeted observation in the landscape, adopting the stance of a surveyor calibrating his or her instruments.

For Yellow Mountain StoneWorks, this project was the ideal opportunity to illustrate the fluidity of natural stone. During fabrication, our masons allowed the uniqueness of each piece to emerge from the quarry block bringing to bear a skill that is thousands of years old. Through the use of digital photography during production, Yellow Mountain StoneWorks made it possible for Perri to be actively involved in the fabrication process. Working with this artist allowed Yellow Mountain Stoneworks to do what we do best -- which is to leverage old-world stone craftsmanship to bring to life a designers concept and make the whole process transparent.

"My goal as an artist is to draw attention to that which is often overlooked or unheard so that one may derive a deeper sense of place," said Lynch.

Learn more about the fabrication of "Straight Shot" on Yellow Mountain StoneWorks website in our Public Art secion as well as the background of the project and the installation of the monoliths on Perri Lynchs blog at sandpointbaseline.blogspot.com.

Yellow Mountain StoneWorks is well-positioned to support other public art projects. If you would like to determine the feasibility of using natural stone on your project, please contact us to Tell Us Your Stone Needs.