Comet – Fire & Ice, installed at the Howard County Public School System’s Administrative Offices in Clarksville, is one of a series of sculptures Carl Billingsley has created in response to the interesting connections between historical ideas associated with comets and contemporary scientific knowledge of them.
“Comets were recorded in some of the earliest written records of man’s observations of the night skies,” says Billingsley. “Because they were bright objects traversing the sky, the common perception was that they were ‘balls of fire’ trailing sparks and flames.
“We now understand that comets are comprised largely of a collection of solid meteor-like stones and aggregates and ice. The ice is very reflective and gives the comet its characteristic brightness in the night sky.”
These old and new ideas about comets led Billingsley to combine the abundant natural element iron with stainless steel, a man-made alloy of iron, to create a symbolic comet that is shiny and bright and that was born in a fiery furnace.
Billingsley, who spent 22 years as a professor at East Carolina University’s School of Art & Design, has been creating art full-time since his retirement from teaching in 2014. This is his fifth ARTsites exhibit.
ARTsites 2020 sculptures will be on display through July 2021. Our new ARTsites brochure is now available – email info@hocoarts.org to request a copy, or click here to view photos of the sculptures online.