A new art installation near the Potomac River in Old Town North was quietly installed over the weekend.
Sculptor Christian Benefiel, on Saturday, installed and put the finishing touches on Beacon 3, a commissioned piece at the TideLock office-to-residential development (1033 N. Fairfax Street) in Old Town North. The piece was constructed over the last year from welded steel and resembles a nautical beacon and satellite with jet engine parts.
“This was commissioned as an interpretation of the history of this area,” Benefiel told ALXnow. “This is the third major beacon-type of work that I’ve done, and this area is full of nautical, rail, air, and then space and satellite history.”
Benefiel, who teaches art at Shepherd University and lives in Centreville, Md., says the sculpture is 20 feet tall and weighs 1,100 pounds. He isn’t sure whether there will be an official unveiling.
“We got a crane out here and we dropped the first piece and got it set to the correct angle and basically lifted one piece after another in place,” he said. “It’s kind of a great relief to be finished, because it’s not in my studio anymore.”
