"This sculpture creates a friction with the surroundings here in New York. It's not sleek like everything else you can see here. It offers a hint to the public that temporality is not necessarily a straight line, that things can come back almost like in a wheel."
If this Roman-era cult structure can be confirmed to be dedicated to the city god Pelusius, it would be a stunning example of the presence of a temple for a deity previously attested only in Classical sources.
No one will ever mistake this for a tilt-up building in an industrial park. This is the Mormon temple being built adjacent to Interstate 5 on San Diego's affluent northern edge. After all, how many San Diego buildings have a multiterraced design, 190-foot twin spires and a 14-foot-tall gold leaf statue of the angel Moroni atop one of the spires facing eastward and blowing his prophetic trumpet? Try none.
They look nervously at the cameras. The prize, they are told, is beyond description, but "it is what everyone wants!" The first question is asked: "Who are you?" The fastest contestant with the buzzer rings in - "Michelle!" they cry out confidently. BUZZ - the sound for the wrong answer rings out loudly. Another contestant seizes the moment and squeezes their buzzer. "A Man!" he states with utmost confidence. BUZZ - wrong again.
as the gods were understood as the true monarchs and the king as simply their steward. In order to maintain his authority, the king needed to court the goodwill of the gods, and although they made their approval clear through military victories, bountiful harvests, and prosperous trade, events such as the Akitu festival provided an annual opportunity for the divine to continue its relationship with the ruling house or withdraw its favor.
Seven were the strings of the lyre (unless there happened to be eight or nine), seven were the gates of Thebes, and seven were the "wandering stars" in the night sky (if you count the sun and moon). The identity of the wonders was less important than the length of their list, and indeed, additions and changes were proposed since the beginning.