What Is That Thing? 'Planetariummonetarium' On The Hudson

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — It looks like a World War II-era naval mine, or perhaps a new generation Dalek of sci-fi lore, but the real story behind the "Planetariummonetarium" is perhaps even more interesting.

Nestled in a quiet corner of the Peekskill waterfront is an installation that is not only interactive, but enlightening from a number of angles. You can't really judge the "Planetariummonetarium"from the outside — it's only once you step inside the sculpture in the medium of metal, kaleidoscopes and coins, that this remarkable work of art shows its true colors.

The oxidized sphere about the size of a pizza oven is filled with a baker's dozen kaleidoscopes inside. In tandem with hundreds of coins from around the world, the work creates a liminal space on the banks of the Hudson River that puts the visitors on the threshold of a place where the juxtaposition of a scenic vista and the hidden workings of the economic complexities of the world blur.

Each kaleidoscope contains a small drawing that dances as the observer tries to focus the turning tube. The graffiti that has slowly collected inside over the years can't distract from, and only emphasizes, the message of the piece.

"The Peekskill planetarium is not about our solar system, but about our monetary system," according to an inscription provided by the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art. "Is the monetary system more complicated than the solar system, the Big Bang or the big bank?"

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