Paul Castellana

Though not unique to Philadelphia, masonry stars are an architectural detail that hold a definitive place within the canvas of the city. Masonry anchors of varying shapes can be found throughout the older cities and villages of Europe, and the tradition has continued in the states in places where aging brick walls are in need of reinforcing. Somewhat inconspicuous and unassuming in size, to the common eye their function is often secondary to their aesthetic, and the star motif used in America’s birthplace tips this asymmetry even further, by consciously or unconsciously echoing the imagery of the country’s flag.

And yet the shape of the star is more universal still, appealing to the deepest reaches of the human psyche. For the vast majority of the history of our species, we looked to the stars of the night sky for guidance, both literal and spiritual. Over time, their mysterious and infinite potential was embedded within symbolic representations that pervade every corner of the world’s culture, and while these individual incarnations hold a layer of meaning that is unique to their environment, their origin remains singular.

So too does an extended investigation of the masonry star’s functionality reveal a root cause shared by all. Reduced to its most fundamental purpose, the masonry star is a tool among many in civilization’s ever present battle against the tides of entropy. The universe’s inescapable tendency to move from order to disorder is perhaps the defining governance of everything, responsible for the arrow of time itself. Though some things will outlast others, nothing is permanent and all walls will eventually fall. Masonry stars are a bandage we use to hold them up just a little bit longer. Thus, despite their use in a war we’re destined to lose, they are a weapon embedded with the hope that carries us all forward.

“Lost Space” capitalizes on the multilayered significance nested within masonry stars by using them as nodes in a sculpture of constellations to be installed in undeveloped spaces of Philadelphia. Every new building brings with it artificial illumination that adds to the greater light pollution of the city, thereby reducing the ability of its inhabitants to see the night sky that was once treasured by their ancestors. It’s one of the many tradeoffs inherent to urbanization, which like entropy, has appeared to hold an unrelenting momentum. By rendering a likeness of the stars being obscured, “Lost Space” is a temporary patch into what was once the most salient reminder of our place in the Universe.