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The Radnor Township
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In the late 1980s, the Radnor Township was designated for highway development. The town
was strongly in need of a coherent strategy in the art projects that were to be developed
as "placemaking" compensation for the incursions of a four lane highway on their land.
Mr. Reimann drew on the historic Welsh settlement of the area for his ideas, adapting a series of
images that had been used on the town seal since the 17th century. Using a
variety of materials including selected stones dug free during the course of the
road work, he created a striking and diverse series of permanent installations:
a monumental cairn, a stone circle, a gigantic hillside griffin.
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Mysterious stone circles, over three thousand years old, dot the
countryside throughout the British Isles. Their exact function remains
unknown. In some of the more elaborate constructions, the stones are
aligned so that a single ray of light penetrates between two standing
stones to a central altar stone at either one of the equinoxes or the
solstices, suggesting that these circles were used like a large scale
sun dial, or for astrological calculations.
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Stone Circle
2 images
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Radnor's circle calculate neither the time or the seasons--however, the work
does have some small level of concealed symbolism. Mr. Reimann worked with four
men to erect the stones. When he came to select and then position and raise the
five blocks for the uprights, he chose one stone for each of the men. These five
variously dark, stocky, short and tall stones stand in permanent reference to
the men who raised them up.
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For an image of work in progress on this piece, click
here.
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Griffin
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This enormous stone cobble griffin was inspired by ancient hill paintings in the
British Isles where the thin layer of grass and topsoil was scoured
away by ancient tribespeople to reveal the white chalk below, creating large-scale
hillside 'paintings.' Ancient images that have survived into the 20th
century include human figures, horses, and dragons.
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Radnor was legally incorporated in 1682. The early Welsh settlers created a town seal
with five images: a griffin, a lion, a wagon, a wheat sheaf, and a 'Tree of Life' (an image derived
from the bible). These elements were redesigned by Reimann and used throughout the project
to embellish overpass bridges, mile-markers, a 25' granite obelisk and an elaborate
glockenspiel clock with moveable mechanical figures.
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2 images
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Mile Markers
3 images
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The images on Radnor's seal symbolize the history of the township:
their allegiance to their former home (the heraldic symbols of griffin
and lion), their spiritual hopes (the Biblical tree of life), and the
long journey (the wagon) that they had undergone to reach their new home.
In past times, mile markers served to welcome travelers as they neared
their destination. Mr. Reimann created markers at several points of
entry into the town, once again using elements from the town's seal.
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