This pyramid structure, standing ca. 14 feet tall at its highest point, is both a sacred space and an optical art installation. Within the Eye of Providence is a camera obscura; the lens was salvaged from a former surveillance plane that once parked on Governors Island during its military history (estimated 1970s). Visitors will be able to turn the eye towards Wall Street, both as a symbolic and poetic gesture: the eye is one of the central symbols on American currency. Given the stark contrast between the light outside and the relative darkness inside the pyramid, it will also act as a sacred quiet space to observe and experience interiority within chaos. The eye used is from the Native American Eye of The Medicine Man that stands for wisdom and seeing into the future. The outer lines of the symbol represents the four corners of the Universe – North, South, East and West of the physical world. The inner lines represent the Spirit world, which the Medicine Man had knowledge of. The center circle represents the eye of the Medicine Man and his spiritual vision. Visitors are invited to explore the touristic, surveillance, and spiritual aspects of the eye. Alternatively you can turn the eye onto the island and allow visitors to pose in front of and interact with it!
Painting made in collaboration with the great Ria Rajan