Flat World, 2008

Flat World, 2008. Aaron T Stephan (Portland, Maine, b. 1974- ). Aaron T Stephan believes that most world globes are relics of the past, arguing that they "fail to represent the complexities of globalization, world growth, and the interrelations of cultures and peoples." Comprised of twenty cast iron triangular segments bolted together, Flat World is a two and a half ton globe that challenges the "trite idea of using a small sphere to represent an entire world.", Stephan created Flat World during his four-month residency in the cast iron foundry at Kohler Company in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. During his time there, he became familiar with Buckminster Fuller's Dymaxion Map, an alternate to the traditional globe, which uses mathematical triangulation. This contemporary method can be unfolded into a single two-dimensional plane, exhibits less distortion than the curvature of a traditional globe and can produce multiple rearrangements to emphasize different aspects of the World. Simulating a large industrial cast-off of a world globe, Flat World celebrates this familiar object's often unrecognized complexities by realizing Fuller's mapping method in a traditional cast iron medium., Aaron T Stephan, Artist Aaron T Stephan likes to provoke and challenge visitors to reassess their perceptions of the world built around them. His sculptures investigate how recognizable symbols and materials shape our impressions of everyday objects. Using both a critical eye and a wry sense of humor, Stephan's artworks comment on the complex webs of information and relationships carried by the material world around us., Stephan lives and works in Portland, Maine. The artist holds a BFA in sculpture from SUNY Purchase College and an MFA from Maine College of Art. He has completed numerous public commissions across New England, and his work has been featured at various national venues, including DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, The Portland Museum of Art and John Michael Kohler Art Center., Outdoor sculpture at Shelburne Museum is supported by the Stiller Family Foundation.