The Alchemist
47°28’20” N, 92°57’50” W - 46°45’11” N, 92°07’49” W
Digital Collage
Invited Group Exhibition, Section as Cosmogram: From the Heavens to the Earth
curated by
David Salomon, Chair and Associate Professor, Ithaca College
2025
Location: Handwerker Gallery at Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY (2025); University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY (2026)
The life of this Giant is limited and knowingly so, with the eventuality of its own exhaustion and death by mid-Century marking an instance of this historical object. This passing is but a mere transformation of its figure comprising an appearance within its recent past.
At the active Hull Rust Mine in Northern Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range, modern history was prefigured two billion years prior as the oxidization of iron in the early oceans2 and atmosphere3 formed rich ore1 deposits.
More recently, the receding belly of the Laurentian Ice Sheet2 exposed these deposits, scraping the earth1 while allowing for their discovery and extraction upon the arrival of Western settlers in the late 19th Century. Though now depleted of economically-viable pure ores, extraction continues. A modern-day alchemist pulverizes earth to dust in pursuit of profits; a massive taconite refinery harnesses magnetic energy while vast furnaces4 transform low-grade ores into spherical ingots exported from the Port of Duluth2 (46°45’11” N, 92°07’49” W).
At the active Hull Rust Mine in Northern Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range, modern history was prefigured two billion years prior as the oxidization of iron in the early oceans2 and atmosphere3 formed rich ore1 deposits.
More recently, the receding belly of the Laurentian Ice Sheet2 exposed these deposits, scraping the earth1 while allowing for their discovery and extraction upon the arrival of Western settlers in the late 19th Century. Though now depleted of economically-viable pure ores, extraction continues. A modern-day alchemist pulverizes earth to dust in pursuit of profits; a massive taconite refinery harnesses magnetic energy while vast furnaces4 transform low-grade ores into spherical ingots exported from the Port of Duluth2 (46°45’11” N, 92°07’49” W).
At the Alchemist’s navel (47°28’20” N, 92°57’50” W) a 3-way totem marks a continental divide and watershed,2
known as the Hill of Three Waters2 to indigenous people long before Western science confirmed its hydrology.2
Bisecting these points a belvedere sits atop the Boeing stock-pile1 (47°26’38” N, 92°55’24” W), so-named after the aeronautics3 company whose fortunes were tethered to the mineral1 rights of the land. Here, a building-as-instrument sits, its sectional purpose to focus attention toward the earth1, skies2 and beyond.5
Bisecting these points a belvedere sits atop the Boeing stock-pile1 (47°26’38” N, 92°55’24” W), so-named after the aeronautics3 company whose fortunes were tethered to the mineral1 rights of the land. Here, a building-as-instrument sits, its sectional purpose to focus attention toward the earth1, skies2 and beyond.5
- Terra
- Aqua
- Aer
- Ignis
- Aether
Project Team
LUCITO, research, concept, design
Special Thanks to
Bodie Chisum, initial research assistance
Image Credit
All images courtesy of Ithaca College
LUCITO, research, concept, design
Special Thanks to
Bodie Chisum, initial research assistance
Image Credit
All images courtesy of Ithaca College
Exhibition Information