Josef Pleier
Sunstone
Sunstone
2002 / 2003
height: approx. 320 cm
Ø approx. 40 cm
basalt
The sculpture establishes a connection to a distant reference point, but one that is typical for Tuscany: the sun. Josef Pleier first carried out measurements for an entire year in order to determine the position of the sun on certain days of the year. The holes that he then drilled into the stone direct the gaze to certain points on the horizon: to the point where the sun rises or sets on the day of winter solstice (21 December) and on the equinox (23 September and 21 March). Other boreholes point to the points at which sunrise and sunset can be seen on 21 June. The opening at the highest point is the »point of true midday«. This is where the sun falls when it is at its zenith in the sky – and it’s not twelve noon.