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