Roger Bisbing
Shaker Air
Brass, cast bronze, aluminum
2011
In this work, the artist poses an anachronistic meeting of Shaker culture and artifacts with modern aircraft design. While peculiar, this intersection reflects the real-life history of the land upon which Albany International Airport sits, which was once part of a thriving Shaker community. With this in mind, Bisbing creates a dialogue between the simplicity to which the Shakers aspired and the complexity of flight technology, as well as between life directed by religious devotion and our present-day occupation with distant travel and global communication. In this scenario, people are absent, as are details that might allude to a specific story. Flying can also be a euphoric experience – a way to transcend our earth-bound state – much the way that their sacred dances moved the Shakers to heavenly bliss.
Photos by Arthur Evans
Albany International Airport Art & Culture Program 