Lock 27 

Outdoor sculpture installation at the National Building Art Center
Commissioned by NonSTNDRD Projects
2025

Situated in the historical flood basin of the Mississippi River, Lock 27 reflects on the unseen rhythm of the 27th lock and dam, located 10 miles upstream from the site. The piece simulates the experience of passing through the lock on a small fishing boat, capturing the gradual 18-foot shift in water level, where movement is so subtle it feels like stillness. Using mapping data from real-time barge traffic, the sculpture’s motor moves a chair and a small piece of blue glass in tune with the barge movement.

I collaborated with Lucas Drummond to develop a code-based system that connects the sculpture to the real-time water level in the lock. We created a system that tracks barge movements using public lock APIs and vessel traffic data, translating their northbound and southbound passages into operational instructions for the sculpture.

The work is located on the American Bottom, a landscape that was formerly a watery delta of the Mississippi. Once a part of a river basin that flooded naturally, the sculpture seeks to reconnect to the altered river, creating a tether that links the site to the water’s now mechanized rhythm.

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