Distance of The Sun

The Distance of the Sun by Artist Glenn Kaino consists of a series of vessels rafted together in increasing size to create a spiral pathway suspended in the air. Drawing from both contemporary and ancient references, these ships are all inspired by the dreams of spaceflight from people and cultures across the globe, and residents of the local communities. The final spacecraft in the sculpture is connected to a ladder that reaches up to a circular oculus carved out from the expansive, ribbed ceiling. The ladder seemingly climbs to the heavens, a reference to the short story The Distance of the Moon by Italo Calvino about the memory of a time long gone, when the moon and the earth were so close that one might hoist a ladder from a ship and walk to each celestial body. This work is a meditation on our collective ambitions and our shared hope. It is a question about the possibilities of collaboration, set in a world increasingly about self-preservation.