Visitors to Sunstones II at Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS) can admire the 18-foot, 16-ton granite sculpture for its elegance and symmetry—and they can also use it to marvel over the changing of the seasons and the cycles of the sun and moon.
Berkeley art Professor Richard O’Hanlon (known as “the Ansel Adams of sculpture” for his use of light on granite) created the piece, which was installed in 1979. David Cudaback ’51, Ph.D. ’62, a much-beloved instructor in Cal’s astronomy department, modified it, adding planes and sightlines so it could be used to mark celestial events including the equinoxes and solstices.
The two hatched the collaboration, which resulted in three statues, over lunch at the Faculty Club. While both men have passed, Cudaback’s daughter, Cynthia, still comes with friends to Sunstones II to observe the winter solstice and welcome longer daylight hours with toasts, poems, songs, and bell ringing.
Marking such special moments is wonderful, acknowledges Bryan Méndez, M.A. ’00, Ph.D. ’02, the planetarium director at LHS. But he thinks equally important is the way the sculpture makes people aware of the everyday positions of the sun and the shadows it casts.
Of course, some just come to play. With its shiny natural stone, the sculpture acts as a magnet for children and allows them to “touch science,” he says. “It’s up on a little hill, and they just run toward it. It just draws them in.”
A celebration of the summer solstice is planned at Sunstones II for June 21.
