Milestones
Title: Milestones: Stream of Consciousness
Artist: Sara Mall Johani
Date: July 2002
Locations:
- Milestone 1: Across from High School
- Milestone 2: Genessee Trail
- Milestone 3: Haines Street
- Milestone 4: F Street and Albert Street Media
Ferro-cement, Glass and Clay Tile Dimensions: 5' high x 10' wide x 10' length The Milestones represent four selected aspects of Port Townsend History ranging from the ancient through the modern. Native American and Natural History, characterized by abundant flora, fauna, and subsistence society, are depicted in Milestone 1 while Milestone 2 highlights the Victorian and Early Settler Era of a more formal and abstracted style. Commemorating the contributions of Chinese farmers to Port Townsend, Milestone 3 also portrays a dragon theme for Chinese sensibility and as a reference to the dragon shape of East Jefferson County. Finally, Milestone 4 presents the artist's interpretation of the present day overflowing with garbage and consumerism. To complete the transformation into a unique object, artifacts, both sculpted bronzes made by the artist and historic items collected from residents, were creatively embedded in each sculpture.
Textural treatment and protrusions make each a unique marker and monument. The "Stream of Consciousness" or stream of history, from which the artwork gets its name, surrounds each monument, creating a mandala in the form of cascading streambeds. As rain falls, the depressions channel water from the monument into rivulets, ending in all eight corners as deltas. This symbolizes the natural cycle of a watershed and the flow of time and history. During festive occasions, the monuments accommodate temporary embellishments such as decorative flags and banners. This provides a way to enhance and interact with the Milestones and connect the present with the past and future.
