FYE 101: Geode Sculpture

The sculpture Geode is owned by Arts Huntsville and is on long term exhibition at UAH. This sculpture is now located on campus in front of the Salmon Library; however, Geode was originally located in Big Spring Park. This sculpture was created by Harold “Skip” Van Houten. The artist of Geode states that his large scale pieces “concentrate on the focus of energy in one internal point.” The artist also states that his large scale pieces “could be compared to the exposed infrastructure of an airplane’s fuselage.” Furthermore, the artist stated that his large-scale pieces are “structural without having an external skin.” The sculpture Geode is constructed in plate steel and Alabama marble. The Alabama marble is contained inside of the plate steel due to welding. Also, Geode has many rows of the plate steel with the marble contained inside.

I chose the sculpture Geode because I walk past it everyday on my way to class and I never knew what it was or why it was there. This sculpture looks like the bottom part of a rocket where the fire comes out. Also, it seems as if the sculpture was made just for Alabama due to being made of plate steel and Alabama marble, and it reminds me of the Space and Rocket Center because it looks like the bottom part of a rocket. Overall, I find Geode intriguing due to its very interesting and unique shape.