Renowned artist Chris Drury has created a one-of-a-kind sculpture at Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory.

The domed structure is made from native stone (excavated from the main Vanderbilt campus) and has an aperture in the top that allows images from the sky to be reflected onto white-washed walls of the interior. The chamber also functions as a huge sundial which marks the passing of the seasons by projecting a noon-day image of the sun on an analemma.

Year-to-year if one marks the noonday sun, it will precisely follow the analemma's figure eight pattern falling on the interior of the chamber. The body of the chamber is surrounded by a spiral, a galaxy-like formation of placed limestone and is located amongst the trees on a secluded southern point of the Observatory grounds. Inset within these spiral arms are large alignment stones marking the sunrises of the solstices and equinoxes. At night, the top of the chamber may be opened in order to observe the seasonal passing of prominent stars and objects at the zenith.

WPLN images and interview about the Star Chamber by Susan Knowles click on listen in MP3

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An original design sketch of the Star Chamber by Chris Drury

Drawings by Chris after the completion of the chamber.