Roundel is a sculpture that invokes a special feeling of finding stillness at the center of activity. The effect is as much acoustical as it is visual. Stand in the exact center of Roundel and you find that the encircling panels block some of the outside sound and bounce your own voice back to you – like an echo but from all sides simultaneously. It is a unique acoustical experience that occurs in a small region as you walk through. From this center point where you achieve a temporary remove from surroundings, you see the world in three different colors or look up at the sky through triangular windows. You are at the center of three rings. The name Roundel has two meanings: Visually, a roundel is a round disk used as a logo, often incorporating concentric circles. But in English literature, a roundel is also a delightful poem form consisting of three stanzas, each with three lines, plus two echoing refrains. As poems go, a roundel is a dense, echoing, rhyming, swirling knot. The roundel form has been used to evoke themes of return, inevitability, or repetition with change.

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Date:

2021

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Location:

Platform Alexandria, Braddock Gateway, Alexandria, VA

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Dimensions:

Overall 15'-6" Diameter x 13'-3" High

 

Medium:

Stainless steel, polycarbonate

 

Artist:

Joseph O'Connell + Creative Machines