Earthly Palace Forest Shrine
EARTHLY PALACE FOREST SHRINE / 2021
Welcome to the Earthly Palace, a forest shrine I created for the 2021 Aspen Space Station, led by Ajax Axe.
The name is a play on Tiangong/Heavenly Palace, the space station that China is developing in the new trilateral space race with the US and Russia. Earthly Palace challenges the notion that a heavenly future is waiting for us “out there.” This project sets its sights lower: at 9,500 feet in Midnight Mine.
My intention as an artist is to honor the forest, creating a space that expands your experience of the natural world and deepens your connection to it.
Earthly Palace is composed of “forest crystals” made with shards of bottle glass that I forage in the woods at old dumping grounds from Aspen’s mining era. The lavender hue — a natural effect of UV light on old bottles that were originally clear — is meant to amplify the verdant energy of the forest and offer a pacific alternative to the competitive space grab going on overhead.
How to Enter the Forest Shrine
I invite you to:
• Take a moment to silence your phone and quiet your mind
• Open your senses as you walk the path and cross the creek
• Take a seat and stay a while — allowing the forest to reveal itself • Offer your full attention: What do you notice around you?