"Gale's Harvest"
south jordan Utah Transit Authority commuter rail station • installed may 2013 • south jordan, utah
mural artist: stephen farley • zoetrope artists: stephen farley and david voisard
This artwork at a new commuter rail station contains two elements: translucent photographic works on the station platform, and a 14' high silo with a windmill on top that spins a zoetrope within, upon which an animated pioneer appears endlessly scything grain.
The windscreens feature four scenes. The backgrounds are translucent murals created from photographs of South Jordan scenes of Wind (representing the reason for the town’s one-time name of Gale), Water (representing the River Jordan and the Beckstead Ditch), Agriculture (represented by a tree), and Family (represented by the logs of a dugout home).
Superimposed on these images are photographs from the 19th and early 20th centuries of a diverse blend of pioneer families and individuals, approximately life-size, all looking straight out at the viewer.
This demonstrates literally and figuratively that the pioneer spirit is still alive today. All the people, from yesterday and today, look like they are waiting for the train and welcoming those who are arriving on the train.
This wind-powered zoetrope (a movie device popularized in the 19th century) in the form of a historic silo was installed in June 2013, and continuously displays an animation of a 19th-century farmer in typical local overalls working his scythe, emulating the pioneers of South Jordan. The town was formerly known as Gale due to the winds that constantly blow in the area. Grain farming was key to the town's early success.
You can view a movie of this Zoetrope in action by clicking here.
tilography™ • fascinating up close, luminescent from a distance
if you are interested in more information,
please contact steve farley at sfarley@igc.org
or 520-780-2238
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