Internationally celebrated contemporary artist, Jeppe Hein, presents a new site-specific labyrinth installation at Massachusetts’ scenic World’s End in Hingham, one hour south of Boston. The work, currently on view and titled A New End, is part of a new two-year outdoor art initiative, Art and The Landscape, presented by The Trustees and curated by guest curator Pedro Alonzo, and will be open to the public through October 2017.
The physical structure of Hein’s reflective labyrinth is inspired by the shape of the surrounding hills at World’s End and is composed of three lines of reflective columns that create a spiral. The stainless steel totems start at a height of 3 feet and rise to 9 feet towards the center. From a bird’s eye view, the configuration of the posts resembles the cross section of a nautilus shell.
A New End is positioned at the foot of the hill where the sand bar begins, allowing for an interaction with the vegetation, hillside and Hingham Harbor. A yearlong presence on the site will allow visitors to experience the structure throughout all four seasons as it is transformed by the stark changes in color and light, distorting the landscape through reflection.
Hein’s labyrinth structure is meant to function as a vehicle for contemplation and reflection. Much like yoga or meditation, the installation is designed to inspire a spiritual experience, stimulating mindfulness and a state of self-awareness. Hein believes that creating art is in fact a healing process.
ABOUT THE ARTIST: Berlin and Copenhagen-based artist Jeppe Hein’s work often combines elements of humor with the traditions of minimalism and conceptual art. On the surface, Hein’s reflective mirror pavilions invite play and instill a sense of wonder in the viewer, transforming the public’s perception of reality through a participatory sensory experience. His art is intended to pull the viewer away from their everyday surroundings, and to lower boundaries and barriers in encounters with others. Hein has had major solo exhibitions presented at institutions around the globe and is represented in major public collections, including those of the Neues Museum Nürnberg, Germany; Tate, United Kingdom; and Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, among others.
ABOUT WORLD’S END: Jeppe Hein was drawn to the natural beauty and vistas of World’s End. In particular, the possibility of placing a reflective sculpture alongside a body of water, an opportunity that has rarely presented itself. World’s End is composed of four drumlin formations (spoon shaped hills) on two islands connected by a man-made sand bar. One of Boston’s Harbor Islands, it is known and frequently visited for its beautiful views of the Boston Harbor, rolling hills, rocky shorelines, open fields, and tree-lined carriage paths designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.