“As time continues to pass and the world seems to get more difficult to survive in, I search for means to keep going. Each day the sun rises and sets and we are alive with it, in time, as it steadily moves.
“KEEP GOING” is a slightly camouflaged sculpture of this phrase. It blends with the color of its surroundings representing difficulties in remembering to find this simple yet involved task. The 4’x32’ sculpture itself has letters that purposely read upside down. Upon closer look, the sun casting a shadow also reveals the phrase “KEEP GOING” that reads correctly, which is in a continuous cycle of movement along with the sun and our existence. The shadow will even be visible at night when the moon is bright.
* The best viewing hours of the sculpture with shadow are from a few hours after sunrise to a few hours before sunset.At the GOLDWELL OPEN AIR MUSEUM near Beatty and Rhyolite, NV.
– Excerpt from article via Michelle Graves website about the work.
1hr 45min from Las Vegas. MAP“
Michelle Graves conceptualized a sculpture for Goldwell Open Air Museum’s biennial event, Bullfrog Biennial. The event was held in Rhyolite twice since 2019 and was formed by members of the Board of Directors for Goldwell Open Air Museum. The event did not happen this year, and Michelle Graves had written a Project Grant For Individual Artists that was accepted specifically for the biennial event. Instead of passing up the opportunity to install this sculpture she had worked so hard to create, she chose to install it in spite of the cancellation.
I am proud to have helped her with the concrete & prep work needed for the handmade 4 foot letter Michelle had made herself. We spent 3 days in Rhyolite, sleeping at a friend’s rental home in Beatty, NV at night. I’d only planned for two days, tops, which resulted in an experience that was ultimately bonding. We washed our clothes in the sink, as the house really only had furniture, beer, a shower & lots of spiders. I am glad that she invited me and I’m glad to have caught so much footage for this video recap of the weekend.
Looking forward to future installations with her and what transpires out of this inspiring event/project.