Azimuth Obelisk (of sedimentary knowledge)

The Azimuth Obelisk (of sedimentary knowledge) is a reimagining of the concrete ‘obelisk’ erected at Hartland Magnetic Observatory in the late 1950's as a permanent azimuth mark from which the drift of the magnetic north pole is monitored via a theodolite through the north facing window of The Absolute Hut. Made from hundreds of hand torn reclaimed prints and drawings, this sculpture embodies the passage of time through a process of layering, holding the history of past works embedded within the stacked layers much as the Earth’s geological and magnetic history is secreted into the strata of sedimentary rock. The base is cast in non-magnetic Snowcrete mixed with crushed oyster shells and the pyramidion is made from patinated copper, all materials used in the buildings and architecture of a magnetic observatory.