Christopher Blay
Signals and Satellites to the AncesStars
(2025)
Christopher Blay鈥檚 temporary public art project, Signals and Satellites to the AncesStars, is on view in New Harmony through August 2025. Situated on Maclure Square, the installation forms a dialogue with the layered histories present along the shores of the Wabash River and here in New Harmony. Composed of mixed media including steel and bamboo, the work evokes the origin myths of the Osage and Myaamia nations who originally inhabited land in present-day Indiana and believed that their ancestors emerged from the celestial sky and from bodies of water.
The sculpture also pays homage to the early Black pioneers arriving to this area in the early 19th century in what was then the Northwest Territory, as these early homesteaders often navigated trails by starlight. This sculptural installation forms a satellite array made from steel and natural materials that 鈥渂eams鈥� out layered narratives invoking regional history.
Materials and motifs in the installation span past, present and future, while water, spirit, technology and the celestial emerge as key elements throughout the composition. The central shape of a 鈥淣itien鈥� - an object made of brass that has four knobs - references the artist鈥檚 own tribe: the Kru people of present-day Liberia, who believe it to hold the divine power of water. The motif also honors the oral histories and origin traditions of the Kru people who arrived to settle the West African coast from the rough waters. During the Owen - Maclure experiment (1825鈥�1827) in New Harmony, which is currently celebrating its bicentennial, several preeminent scientists and educators arrived here by water on the 鈥淏oatload of Knowledge.鈥�
The installation also pays homage to the 鈥楪olden Record鈥� sent out in the Voyager 1 & 2 spacecrafts in 1977: a golden disc with data holding a 鈥榤essage in a bottle鈥� from Earth鈥檚 residents to potential extraterrestrial life forms. This may be seen as echoing the Harmonie Society鈥檚 symbol of the 鈥楪olden Rose鈥�: a marker of promise taken from early Martin Luther scripture found in the Bible鈥檚 Book of Micah that became an enduring symbol from when the Society arrived here in 1814 through to the present day.
Artist is a Liberian American artist who lives and works in Fort Worth, TX. His 鈥楴yesoa, Nitien, and the Alpine Stars,鈥� video commission, 鈥楽pLaVCe Ship鈥� sculpture, and other works are on view through June 8, 2025 at Ballroom Marfa in Marfa, TX. Christopher Blay鈥檚 work, The SpLaVCe Ship, received honorable mention at the 2023 Grand Rapids Art Prize, Grand Rapids, MI.
Signals and Satellites to the AncesStars remains on view from May 2025 through August 2025. This project is presented by the New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art with generous support from the Efroymson Family Fund and Connie Weinzapfel.