2:45 am Until Sunrise on Tet, the Lunar New Year, January 31, 1968, U.S. Embassy, Saigon, Vietnam (Looking North)

Copied Anna Von Mertens, 2:45 am Until Sunrise on Tet, the Lunar New Year, January 31, 1968, U.S. Embassy, Saigon, Vietnam (Looking North), 2006, cotton, 41 x 97 1⁄2 in. (104.1 x 247.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Richard T. Evans Fund, 2012.48, © 2006, Anna Von Mertens

Artwork Details

Title
2:45 am Until Sunrise on Tet, the Lunar New Year, January 31, 1968, U.S. Embassy, Saigon, Vietnam (Looking North)
Artist
Date
2006
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
41 x 97 1⁄2 in. (104.1 x 247.7 cm)
Copyright
© 2006, Anna Von Mertens
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Richard T. Evans Fund
Mediums Description
cotton
Classifications
Subjects
  • Landscape — celestial — star
  • Landscape — time — night
Object Number
2012.48
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2012.48

Artwork Description

Von Mertens's series As the Stars Go By depicts the position of the stars at specific violent moments in American history in which "what came before seems separate from what follows." With the aid of a computer, she manipulates empirical data into subjective patterns, making these distant events personal. She then meticulously translates her compositions into fiber, bringing the image forth stitch by stitch on hand-dyed fabric over the course of several months.

Connections: Contemporary Craft at the Renwick Gallery, 2019

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