The iconic Spaceship Earth sculpture outside the Social Sciences building was dismantled over the holiday break, along with other changes and additions across campus.
The sculpture incurred structural damage over time and was deemed a safety hazard. Spaceship Earth was comprised primarily of quartzite and bronze and weighed 175 tons. Its collapse would undoubtedly create substantial damage, according to Vice President of Administration Tricia Chastain.
Kennesaw State has been home to Spaceship Earth for 15 years, but the sculpture likely would not have lasted much longer without severe intervention due to the structural issues the sculpture was experiencing.
“The sculpture had extensive damage due to water ingress and metallic corrosion and was structurally and aesthetically in a state of disrepair,” Chastain said.
The cost to repair the statue was estimated close to a million dollars and would have taken a substantial amount of time to complete, according to Chastain.
Curiously, this isn’t the first time the globe has been in peril. Back in late 2007, just months after its initial unveiling, Spaceship Earth collapsed overnight. The official report says that it collapsed due to inclement weather and inadequate construction adhesive. Eino, the sculpture’s creator, suspected that the statue collapsed as a result of vandalism. In his opinion, it appeared as if someone tried to pull the bronze statue of Brower off the globe. This conjecture was indicated by the three points of break, damage to the nearby grass, and marks left on the statue itself.
Spaceship Earth was created by Finnish-American sculptor Eino and was commissioned by Brian & Jennifer Maxwell. The statue depicted renowned environmentalist David Brower standing on a 15-foot stone globe. Eino’s initial intention was for the globe to last a millennium and function as a time capsule. Inside the 88 pieces of stone, he sealed various articles and papers addressing the question: What can we do to save the Earth?
Inscribed on Spaceship Earth were the words “We travel together passengers, on a little spaceship, dependant.” This piece’s name and inscription alluded to Adlai Stevenson’s infamous metaphor popularized in the 1950s. The Spaceship metaphor illustrates the care and maintenance our planet needs as well as the limitations of our resources.
The removal of Spaceship Earth is just one of several architectural changes made to campus over break to prepare for a new semester. Most of these changes were additions to The Carmichael Student center and Academic Learning Center in order to accommodate KSU’s growing student body.
The Market was expanded in the Carmichael Student Center. Hissho Sushi’s previous location in the student center has since been taken over by a brand-new Jamba Juice.
New student study spaces have been added across campus as well, including a lounge area in the Social Sciences building.
KSU administration has yet to announce whether there are plans to repurpose the space where the statue once stood.
