Asad Raza’s public sculpture Orientation inhabits Wade Oval for the duration of FRONT 2022. Part of a larger project, it aims to make legible Lake Erie’s past, present, and futures—its entwined rhythms, ecosystems, and communities. Orientation draws on the Indian astronomical observatories of Jantar Mantar, which were constructed in the early eighteenth century to track the sun, moon, and planets. A contemporary reinterpretation, Raza’s sculpture will function similarly to allow for viewing of shadows and the movements of heavenly bodies. Yet here it is connected intimately with its location: Orientation is constructed out of plaster formed from crushed Zebra and Quagga mussels trawled from Lake Erie, as well as sand, silt, reeds, and rubble. The whole sculpture is scaled for children, opening up an exploration of the stars to younger communities.

Asad Raza, Orientation, 2022, Commissioned by FRONT International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art in partnership with University Circle Incorporated, the University at Buffalo Arts Collaboratory, and Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

Construction Team: Quincy Koczka and Frances Parson. Photos: Field Studio.