Location: North Resident Villages Courtyard

“There is a latent potential in every public place and situation to become more than the specific functions it appears to perform.”-CG

“Public and private experiences are never distinct, but exchange places throughout the day.”-CG

“My search for a place where desire intersects with our everyday activity is the search for sculptural forms which engage us in the poetry of our own actions and define our personal and social histories.” -CG

These words from artist, Cliff Garten help us to understand Ethereal Bodies located just in front of Hurley Dining Hall on North Campus. What is a more daily private and public activity than eating and where might there be a swirl of activity and a place for developing our “personal and social histories” than at a location where students gather for meals, grounding themselves and sharing ideas and enjoyment? Garten is known for creating civic sculptures that transform urban spaces from simply functional to artistically expressive. Ethereal Body, with its curved lines and undulating form, is the sculptural focal point of the small plaza outside of Hurley Dining Hall. To heighten our sense of place, Garten intends for his sculptures to create energy between all the constituents of a public gathering space: sculpture, people, and architecture. The overall shape and form of Ethereal Body emanates beyond the sculpture to the patio design below and serves to visually connect and unify people to place.