Conjunction

Two architectural niches stand and face each other, inviting the viewer to pass between them. On the interior of one is a relief cast from recent imagery of the gaseous surface of Jupiter, on the other the jagged terrain of Venus. Perhaps a relic of a bygone civilisation, the standing figures hint at a ritualistic purpose devoted to astronomical landscapes, as in menhirs of prehistory.

The title Conjunction refers to the occurrence of two astronomical objects appearing to meet when observed from Earth, a temporary alignment of celestial longitudes. In August of last year, Venus and Jupiter came as close as four arcminutes, an exceptional conjunction not to be repeated until 2065.