Kevin Beasley has created a large-scale acoustic mirror for Storm King Art Center, opening May 7. The 11-foot-tall, 100-foot-wide four-part sculpture is inspired by World War I–era concrete acoustic mirrors used for detecting enemy aircraft. Unlike those obsolete relics, Beasley's work is made from recycled clothes cast in resin and will amplify visitors' voices and outdoor sounds. The piece engages with the history of the Hudson River School painters and themes of colonialism, Manifest Destiny, and contested land, while also celebrating agricultural cycles through its seasonal titles: Proscenium| Rebirth, Growth, Harvest, and Dormancy.
This installation matters because it transforms a historical military technology into a contemporary artwork that addresses urgent social and political issues around land ownership, belonging, and environmental stewardship. By placing the work at Storm King, a major sculpture park in the cradle of the Hudson River School, Beasley directly challenges the white, colonialist narratives embedded in American landscape painting. The use of recycled clothing as material also introduces a memorial quality, connecting personal and collective histories to the land. The work exemplifies how public sculpture can engage with both site-specific history and broader cultural critique.