Poles
Outdoor sculpture, in conjunction with performances by Robert Wilson and others.
Premiered in 1968 at Grail Retreat, Loveland, Ohio.
An outdoor sculpture commissioned by the Grail, a Catholic laywoman’s organization in Loveland, Ohio. The sculpture consists of 676 telephone poles arranged in 26 rows of 26. Progressing at intervals of six inches, each uniform row increases in height from two feet to eighteen feet. Wilson, along with several associates, spent most of the summer of 1968 constructing the installation. At the completion of the structure, Wilson gave a performance that featured him dressed in a floppy broad-rimmed hat with curls hanging down his face. It was the first appearance of his Byrdwoman character—the Medea-like figure emblematized by actress Sheryl Sutton in Deafman Glance. (Text by Joseph Bradshaw)
More information on “Ohio Outdoor Sculpture”: https://www.sculpturecenter.org/oosi/items/show/2070
More photos on “Roadtrippers”: https://maps.roadtrippers.com/us/loveland-oh/attractions/the-poles-loveland-oh
Rededication of the “Poles” in 2001: https://www.farmanddairy.com/news/polestock-festival-celebrates-robert-wilsons-poles-at-grailville/4737.html