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Brilliant Monument Design Casts Perfect Solar Spotlight Once a Year

By Rain Noe - November 12, 2014

in Fine Art

Yesterday was Veteran's Day, the U.S. holiday where we Yanks honor the members of our military, past and present (and get our annual Band of Brothers fix on TV). The timing of the holiday is based on Armistice Day's 11-11-11—that's the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year, which in 1918 marked the official cessation of World War I hostilities.

Commissioned to design a Veteran's Day memorial for Anthem, Arizona, Phoenix-based artist Renee Palmer Jones took heed of both the "11" timing and the Arizona sun. As she writes:

At precisely 11:11 a.m., each year on 11-11, the sun aligns through the elliptical holes in each of the five marble pillars (each representing a branch of the the U.S. military) in order to perfectly illuminate a round mosaic inlaid into the bricks; that of the Great Seal of the United States. The symbolism of the five pillars standing in formation in order to protect the United States and to complete the solar illumination is representative of U.S. military personnel working together in all regards, in the security and defense of American citizens.

The project was designed by Palmer Jones, engineered by Jim Martin Oscar Oliden and Steve Rusch and constructed by the Haydon Building Corporation.

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chris

9 years ago

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I like it, though if the alignment date is not in December or June, won't there be 2 days a year that align? [One in the spring and one in the fall].
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powers

9 years ago

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Tom, that's exactly what I thought it would be! Oh well. Nice idea anyway.
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Tom Mc

9 years ago

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At first glance I thought each pillar held a different colored lens that would add the proportionate area of color on the seal. The resolution was impeccable. Obviously - it's done in mosaic on the floor!
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slippyfish

9 years ago

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Love everything about this except for the result, which (at the risk of sounding unpatriotic) feels a little banal. The effect with the light and shadow is great but it would have been nice to get more 'special effects' with the sunlight. Like, something completely opaque for the rest of the year which is revealed on that day.
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