John Atkin

The sculpture was commissioned through Prof. Zhang-he, Tsinghua University, Beijing on behalf of Ordos City Municipal Government for their new International Sculpture Park. Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, China.

Thirty artists, from across the world, were invited to participate, in the 1st-Phase of this ambitious project. The original concept design was designed and modeled in my studio in London, and the scaling-up process completed at FX Stone, Beijing, China. My trips to China to oversee the scaling-up process as well as installation were supplemented by regular e electronic updates from FX Stone, a company that I successfully worked with on the delivery of the award-winning artwork 'Strange Meeting" for Olympic Park. Beijing, 2008.

The title of the artwork is based on Robert Frost’s poem of the same name. The sculpture reflects the underlying ideas in the poem relating to journeys and choices that individuals make during their life.   The use of navigational forms are a metaphor for ideas relating to exploration, as well as established motifs for plotting associated with 'trade" across the globe.

The use of sextant forms expands this metaphor further into notions of voyages or odyssey’s. which links the past with the present day. This concept of its contemporary burgeoning economy.

This monumental landmark artwork also integrates informal seating, by way of the "mariners astrolabe” circular form at the base of the artwork. This circular form has deliberately elevated areas as part of its design to encourage visitors to rest, and take in the surroundings