Harriet Bart, Without Words, A Reading Room, 1998

metal, gold leaf, concrete, boulders

Harriet Bart’s installation Without Words,A Reading Room, 1998, is a sanctum situated on the Nature Trail and marked by symbolic forms and objects, that invite a variety of readings. At Laumeier, Bart has created a poetic and evocative sculptural setting that is filled with mystery and drama. The backdrop is a stone wall; on its façade are chiseled letters “A E I O U”, evoking a possible remnant of an ancient culture. For Bart, these five letters “unlock the alphabet that is our code for language and concepts.” Opposite are five boulders arranged before the standing steel desk with a rusty patina. Experienced together, these sculptural interventions create a place of quiet refuge for the visitor to sit and reflect as the layers of symbolic meaning unravel into an atmosphere that is poetic and contemplative.

Laumeier Sculpture Park Commission with funds from the Mark Twain Laumeier Endowment Fund.

Location: Nature Trails