Montages
April 28 – May 26, 1979

This exhibition of images describes five major projects, each concerned with the perception of the earth from a different altitude. Montaged satellite pictures, watercolors, drawings, photographs, maps, and gold are employed to convey aspects of the work.

Empire Sphere, 1978-79 is a plan to erect an optically-polished gold sphere, 35 feet in diameter, proportioned for the mooring tower of the Empire State Building. Twenty thousand square miles of earth (New York City and environs) would be mirrored in this gold sphere 1,250 feet above street level. The firm of Buckminster Fuller and Shoji Sadao have provided a practical design for Empire Sphere, and a complete construction plan has been prepared by Allied Bronze.

A version of The Ray, which deals with the development of life on earth as determined by the distance between the earth and sun, and one Corner of the World, the earth's surface and interior perceived through a touchstone in the ground, have already been executed. The Airborne Islands and Television Globe are ongoing development projects. All of these projects are possible given present day engineering and economics. This is Shannon's second exhibition in the gallery.