Ushimado, Okayama, Japan, 1988
Commissioner: Japan Ushimado International Arts Festival
earth, granite, fired clay, olive seedling
17 x 4 x 46’ / 530 x 1300 x 1400 cm
Kiva was an earthen amphitheater dug into the red earth of an olive grove. The title Kiva derives from the Native American’s underground ceremonial space. The entrance faced exactly south, where a palm and olive tree can be viewed against a backdrop of inland sea and islands. In the north, an olive seedling was planted in the altar of the Kiva. Twenty-four granite stones were placed around the bottom of the circle and functioned as a sundial with a human body casting the shadow.