As the seeds that we sow in our gardens hold the possibility of a living plant; so does the universe as it also contain the full potential for LIFE.  Space, Time, Matter and Energy are the builders of Life.

Khronos is a permanent art installation located at the New Brunswick Botanical Gardens, next to the Madawaska River.  In creating Khronos, I wanted LIFE to vibrate inside its stone body.  It's a place where the community can gather to celebrate, to learn, to explore or to question themselves on how LIFE flows through TIME.  By using various elements of Khronos, combined with your own imagination, you can participate in the life of the work.  

Khronos works as a portal, where each individual can gaze at the stars or into their own inner cosmos.  As time goes by, Khronos transforms into a laboratory, an astronomical observatory, a compass, or a place of creation or contemplation.  With only a few points of reference, it becomes easy to project your conscience into time and space.  Inside your mind, a virtual compass will take root and your imagination will transform into a time machine.  

The CELESTIAL DOOR - the Cosmic Egg and the Pilars of Creation

In the beginning, nothing existed, nothing grew old.  It all began with a primitive egg.  The winds of (Khronos - God of Time) and (Ananké - Goddess of Inevitability) circled the egg in their coils and split it apart.  From this primitive egg, the world was born.

The Cosmic Egg is a 5-foot diameter stainless steel sphere.  On its mirrored surface, you can see your reflection as you would if you were looking from above.  The Cosmic Egg is suspended in space, as if it had just fallen from the center of the universe, the place where everything converges in the sky, Polaris.

The Pilars of Creation are represented by two standing stones measuring 17 and 19 feet in height. These two monoliths symbolise the force that digs and sows the earth.  At the same time, they reach for the cosmos. The Celestial Door is an imaginary time portal that you can enter as you pass under the egg (don't forget to make a wish).

Throughout the centuries, the North Star has guided and inspired numerous souls to explore and to seek adventure.  It was a celestial compass for those who had lost their way.  Like a diamond in the night, the sky circles around Polaris. This movement of stars around this central point has long been viewed as a celestial mill; the stars, seeds of wheat circling on a gigantic astral millstone.  One of the following image shows the movement of the stars, above the Cosmic Egg, as you would see it in time lapse photography.

The STONE CIRCLE - the Directional Doors and the Stones of Time

The circle represents a finished whole, complete and perfect, autonomous, without beginning, end or variations.  It represents the infinite, the ultimate geometric symbol.  It contains its own space; it is container and content.

As opposed to a sundial that marks time on a scale of a few hours, the stone circle marks celestial cycles in relation to the earth on a scale of thousands of years.  Some stone circles were sacred sites; others were cemeteries or rural maps pointing to important places for travelers. Other stone circles were astronomical observatories that determined exactly when there would be a solar or lunar eclipse and other significant moments during the year such as solstices.  

The stone circle located at the New-Brunswick Botanical Garden is contemporary and interactive.  As time goes by, Khronos transforms into a laboratory, an observatory, a compass; or a meeting place for celebration, creation or contemplation.  It has 12 standing stones and it measures 55 feet in diameter.  For the most part, the stones weigh over eight tons each.  From the middle of the circle, visitors can direct their gaze at 4 directional doors (geographical north / south / east / west), or at the 4 Stones of Time which represent measures of time.  From the center of the flagstone, if you follow the sequence of the Time Stones and their units of measure in a clockwise movement, you go forward in time. If you follow this same sequence in a counter-clockwise manner, you go back in time.  From the center of the circle, each Time Stone is placed in a direct trajectory to the corresponding sites. 

• the calendar stone - the Mayan Calendar, time on a human scale.  The Mayas believed that the cosmos activated the human spirit.  With their astronomical observations and mathematical knowledge, they developed a system of 17 very complex calendars to mark time.  These calendars form recurring cycles based on the cosmos and fit together like gearwheels in a watch.  The Sun Stone calendar is a synchronizer of time.
• the stone of generations - Celestial observation and knowledge passed on from one generation to the next have allowed humanity to understand the rhythms and cycles of time on the scale of thousands of years.
• the sacred stone - Uluru, the geologic time scale is a system of chronological measurement that relates stratigraphy to time, used to describe the timing and relationships between events that have occurred throughout Earth's history.  The geologic time scale starts with the earth's estimated age of about 4,6 billions years.  Uluru, also referred to as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in Australia.  Uluru is an inselberg, literally 'island mountain'.  It is an isolated remnant left after the slow erosion of an original mountain range.  Uluru is also often referred to as a monolith, although this is a somewhat ambiguous term that is generally avoided by geologists.
• the stone of the continuum - the Hadron Collider, going back to the origins of the universe.  What is the origin of the universe?  What is contained within invisible space?  Located on the borders of France and Switzerland, the Large Hadron Collider is the largest and highest energy particle accelarator in the world to this day. Physicists hope to bring elements of answers to many questions concerning particle physics.  The answer to the most important question, where do we come from, the origins of the universe; and also to prove the existence of dark matter (25%) and dark energy (70%) that would make up, in theory, 95% of space. 
  

Arkaim 31.00
Ale's Stone Ship 48.50
Newgrange 56.90
Kokino 58.20
Stonehenge 59.60
Napta Playa 68.10
Almendres 78.60
Richat 99.40
Adam's Calendar 102.20
Vredefort Crater 105.00
Le massif Brandberg 109.60
Murujuga 169.30
San Augustin 183.00
Machu Picchu 184.60
Nazca Lines 187.20
Chanquillo 191.40
The Great Serpent 237.50
Giant Crystal Cave 249.00
Nonakado 290.00
Solar Temple 292.20
Magnetic North 341.00

The MIRROR of TIME and the MEDITATION STONES

Water was man's first mirror.  The Mirror of Time is a 10 feet diameter basin covered with a thin layer of water.  On the surface, the celestial vault parades night and day.  People who wish to walk in the miroir of time during the day will do so amongst the sky, the birds, the clouds; and at night, amongst the stars.  The 7 blocks of stone following the contour of the Mirror of Time are the Meditation Stones.   

Thank you

Khronos was made possible with the participation of many individuals, organisations and companies.  The closest collaborators were: Atelier du bronze, Benoit Roussel Fondations, Conrad Lavoie & fils Ltée, Couturier Welding & fils Ltée, François Lamontagne, horticulturalist, Gentec, engineers, Jean Aucoin, projet coordinator and director of the New Brunswick Botanical Garden, JOMA Engineering, engineers, Les Arpenteur du Nord Ltée, land surveyors, Marc-André Paradis, astronomer, Michel Marceau, landscape architect, Nadeau Soucy et Ellis, architects, Nelson Monuments, granit and installation of the monoliths, City of Edmundston, department of green spaces.  This project was funded by: the Province of New Brunswick and the New Brunswick Botanical Garden.

This video from the New Brunswick Botanical Gardens shows a small glimpse of the construction.  To view more videos, click here.

Construction photos