Sundial Registry

Sundial 1150

Location:
Franconia Sculpture Park 2.2 miles east of Shafer on Lake Blvd, then South on St. Croix Trail. Entrance at 29836 St. Croix Trail Sundial is within a 50 acre park that contains over 100 sculptures

Description:
This 9 ft (3m) tall horizontal dial, called "Time is of the Essence", is a fully functioning sundial and sculptural installation that casts shadows and reflected light onto hour lines. Built with three layers of mirrored stainless steel and laser-cut acrylic, the sculpture casts an almost 50-foot rainbow spectrum that moves slowly from west to east throughout the day to show the hourly passage of time. The outer stainless shell represents a neuron map reflecting the sun both inward and outward. The middle acrylic layer creates the spectrum of color while the innermost layer maps star constellations above in the site. As light passes through these lattices, the shadows create a "synaptic map of colors representing both neural and communal connection." And of course, it tells local solar time accurately.

Inscription:
In part a plaque reads: "These colors shift throughout the day and across the seasons, marking not just the hour, but the passage of multiple temporalities: personal, collective, planetary. The sculpture maps moment, movement, memory, and interaction all at once. Ultimately, Time is of the Essence embodies the illusion of permanence through the lens of perception, reflection, and layered being. The intention is to experience your own reflection layered with others’, to see yourself both within and outside of time. The piece reveals that time is not a single clock, but a constellation of perception that is woven together by the brain, the body, and the world around us. It reminds us that everything we think of as real (time, space, self) is constructed from overlapping illusions, made tangible only through presence."

Last Update: 2026-05-07 20:56:19