The Heart of the Heartland by artist Ralfonso
Following a worldwide call-out for applications and the exhibition of proposals from six shortlisted artists, a winning proposal by Swiss-American artist Ralfonso has been selected. The mechanical sculpture is titled The Heart of the Heartland and combines a series of rotating heart-shaped forms which come together on the hour with a specially commissioned sound to accompany it. The engineering and construction is now underway, and our ambition is to realise the sculpture and landscaping in time for the 60th Dogwood Azalea Festival in April 2028.
Read the original proposal here
“A year after announcing the plans for a kinetic landmark designed to help revive the economy of my hometown, Charleston, Missouri, the project has reached an important milestone: I have finally selected the winning design for the landmark and my choice is Ralfonso’s The Heart of the Heartland. The design is rich with meaning for the whole town. Charleston is virtually at the very center of one of the world’s most famous agricultural regions – America’s great Heartland. Indeed, the town’s whole history and character epitomise much of it not only geographically and economically but also historically and culturally, with hard work, self-reliance, hospitality, and community spirit among its most characteristic attributes.”
“The Heart of the Heartland will be a Kinetic Time and Sound Sculpture set in a heart shaped path surrounded by new planting and landscaping. The 7m tall heart-shaped sculpture functions both as a kinetic timekeeper and clock. The polished surfaces of the two inner ‘hearts’ rotate on their vertical axis, the smallest one for the seconds and the middle one for the minutes – thus displaying the time. On each full hour, the sculpture automatically aligns to 3 consecutively smaller hearts. It stops for one full minute in this position, providing a great opportunity for selfies and group photos – before the two interior hearts slowly return to their correct time and continue their timely revolutions. Also, each full hour, the sculpture will sound a beautiful chime, indicating the hour at hand. The sculpture symbolizes the shared rhythm of Charleston life – a collective heartbeat that marks not just minutes and hours, but the moments that couples, locals and visitors, as well as the entire community experience shared time and being together.”