felippe moraes pays homage to the horizon with a towering metal monument in rio

‘monument to the horizon’ is a large scale public sculpture by felippe moraes, permanently installed on a pier in the city of niterói, rio de janeiro. described by the artist as ‘an observatory of horizons’, the sculpture takes the form of a fiver meter high metal wall that curves around a short staircase. ascending the monument brings you eye-level with a 180° strip in the steel screen that reveals just a thread of the beautiful landscape of rio de janeiro. the work is installed in perfect alignment with the cardinal points, and faces directly to the west to provide a powerful view of rio’s sunset. the piece also functions as a kind of neolithic calendar, marking both the solstices and equinoxes. 

the sculpture takes the form of a fiver meter high metal wall that curves around a short staircase

beyond the visual aspect of the piece, ‘monument to the horizon’ also functions as an aural installation. having ascended the volume, visitors are isolated from almost all external noise except that of the winds that buffet the structure from all sides. the combinatory affect is one of a loud silence, whereby guests are treated to the contemplative power of the horizon from the confines of a kind of make-shift sensory deprivation tank. 

ascending the monument brings you eye-level with a strip in the steel that reveals just a thread of rio de janeiro

surrounded by guanabara bay, the piece is located on an abandoned concrete pier within architect oscar niemeyer’s complex known as ‘caminho niemeyer’. its hope is to bring life back to the once degraded surrounding, revitalising the spot and attracting public interaction. weighing in at 1.1 tons, the tower is constructed from weatherable steel that endures the effects of its exposure to the sea while also oxidizing slightly over time.

the sculpture represents something of a fixation for felippe moraes who has developed artistic research on the horizon for some time. the steel monument is derived from one of moraes’ previous experiments where he sought to develop a mathematical formula capable of calculating one’s distance to the horizon. entitled ‘from the distance to the horizon’ (2009-2010), moraes’ attempts at the sum can be viewed on the artist’s website and downloaded as what he describes as a ‘poetic manual’.  

the piece also functions as a kind of neolithic calendar, marking both the solstices and the equinoxes

‘monument to the horizon’ was granted 1st place in brazil’s ArteMonumento2016 competition, held by the country’s federal government, which made its construction possible. executed by rio-based artemontagem and with technical drawings developed in collaboration with the architect fernanda carvalho, the sculpture is an enduring statement of the possibilities of looking beyond, to new horizons and better futures.

visitors are isolated from almost all external noise except that of the winds that buffet the structure from all sides

guests are treated to the power of the horizon from the confines of a make-shift sensory deprivation tank

 
the color of the monument changes over time thanks to the oxidation process 

surrounded by guanabara bay, the piece is located on an abandoned concrete pier 

moraes once sought to develop a mathematical formula capable of calculating one’s distance to the horizon 

the volume is positioned with the city of niterói at its back 

‘monument to the horizon’ was granted the 1st place in brazil’s ArteMonumento2016 competition

 
the sculpture is an enduring statement of the possibilities of looking beyond, to new horizons and better futures

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: peter corboy | designboom