interstellar

Project Description

In the spring of 2024, the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum commissioned nine Savannah-based artists to create site-specific installations honoring the rich and varied narratives of the region’s maritime community. Each artist selected a unique location for their work, with many gravitating toward the museum’s contemporary North Garden, while others embraced the historic interior spaces of the Scarbrough House.

The resulting installations were unveiled during a two-day public celebration marking National Maritime Day, held on May 22—a date that commemorates the SS Savannah’s historic 1819 departure from Savannah to Liverpool, England, marking the first transoceanic voyage by a steamship.

Participating artists included Joshua Alexander, Greg Finger, Marcus Kenney, Kevin Kirkwood, Kristopher Maedke-Russell, Will Penny, Abby Portner, Todd Schroeder, and Matt Van Rys. Kirkwood’s contribution, titled Interstellar, was a standout among the works, offering a luminescent interpretation of the maritime legacy of the packet steamer Pulaski.

Artist Statement

• This is an accessible channel.

• A procession of 30 lamps, 60 feet, and a sky full of stars.

• You are invited to ignite. To extinguish.

• Or, to simply drift on through this rigid slope.

While creating this body of work, reflection and meditation was placed on Coldplay's 2014 album "Ghost Stories," particularly the song "Midnight."

Heavy consideration was also given to the 1836 Pulaski explosion and the 30 survivors who drifted at sea for many days.

Materials

electricity, bricks, wood, metal, rubber, nylon, glass, light.