Celestial Clock

20 x 18 x 1 1/2 inches
Epoxy clay, gouache paint, resin, clock parts

From the catalog for Measures of Time at Studio Solenne, 2026, “Mirisola’s Celestial Clock is fan fiction inspired by the ceiling of GrandCentral Station - an iconic tourist attraction embedded in memories of her New York childhood. For this project, the artist revisited the station and photographed each zodiac symbol. She became a tourist in her own city, craning her neck and trying to learn every detail. In her mind, the ceiling was greener than it appeared in person. When Mirisola was younger, she believed the stars must correspond to an actual map of the sky. The ceiling seemed as old as the Sistine Chapel. In Mirisola’s clock, she cut out a pie slice from the station’s ceiling and painted the magical inner workings like a grandfather clock or a window to the sky.She painted a rosy-cheeked moon modeled after those of 18th centuryPenny Moon clocks. These clocks were made to track the phases of the moon and the tides for sailors. Mirisola’s moon looks softly at the viewer, like a protector above.”