Charles Ross: Where the Earth Meets the Sky
National Gallery of Art
documentary, digital series, 24 min, 2024 | Coming Soon...
"Where the Earth Meets the Sky" follows artist Charles Ross as he approaches the culmination of "Star Axis," a monumental land artwork engraved in the New Mexico desert, after nearly 50 years of work. Conceived as a gateway for time travel and a means to reconnect with the cosmos, Ross's endeavors were documented by Wendy Apple in the 1980s and 90s, resulting in dozens of hours of footage from an unfinished film. This documentary intertwines footage spanning four decades, delving into Ross's obsessive fascination with time, light and the space of the stars, while uncovering the mysteries of the universe and our place within it.
This episode is part of "From West to East,” a series created and produced by Rava Films, in partnership with the National Gallery of Art, which embarks on a cross-country journey to connect communities through art, spotlighting contemporary artists and the relationships between their work, their communities, and the places where they work.
CREDITS
SERIES CREATED AND DIRECTED BY
Rafael Salazar Moreno
SERIES CREATED AND PRODUCED BY
Ava Wiland
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Scott Keiner
SUPERVISING LINE PRODUCER
Karla Carnewal
PRODUCER
Danielle Davis
EDITED BY
Rafael Salazar Moreno
Russell Yaffe
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Rafael Salazar Moreno
WRITTEN BY
Rafael Salazar Moreno
NARRATION READ BY
Michael Sugarman
COLORIST AND SOUND DESIGN AND MIX
Russell Yaffe
ASSISTANT AND ADDITIONAL CAMERA
Jules Rico
ASSISTANT EDITORS
Danielle Davis
Chyan Lo
DRONE OPERATOR
Rafael Salazar Moreno
VFX
Russell Yaffe
ANIMATIONS BY
Motion Principles
ANIMATOR
Juan Casal
VOICE OVER RECORDING
Merche Blasco
FOOTAGE
Archival Footage Courtesy of Wendy Apple
From an unfinished project by Wendy Apple
Cinematography by Alan Barker, Tom McCarthy and Paul Goldsmith
MUSIC
“Coming To Terms”
Composed and Performed by Troy Herion
“One For The Books”
Composed and Performed by Troy Herion
“A Woman Appears”
Composed and Performed by Troy Herion
“Engine Room”
Composed and Performed by Troy Herion
"Ozu"
Composed by Alexis Georgopoulos and David Lackner
Performed by Arp
Copyright Control Alexis Georgopoulos (BMI)
Licensed Courtesy of Mexican Summer
"The Path"
Composed and Performed by Joel Pickard
"A Message"
Composed and Performed by Joel Pickard
Additional Music
Courtesy of Musicbed
Courtesy of Free Music Archive
"Led by the dress colored in red"
By Augustus Bro & Gallery Six
"Popism"
By Blue Dot Sessions
“Undercover Vampire Policeman”
By Chris Zabriskie
All artworks by Charles Ross
Dwan Light Sanctuary, Conception: Virginia Dwan;
Building Alignments and Solar Spectrum: Charles Ross;
Architect: Laban Wingert