Image: John Michael Kohler Arts Center, New York
Robert Blackstone’s ‘Crystal City’ will be exhibited outside Dayton, Ohio, for the first time; the monumental found-object sculpture was first created and shown there.
Blackstone built the work from found objects, electronics, harvested glass, toys, family videos and personal mementos. The sculpture combines sound, light, movement and living elements to create a miniature immersive urban landscape.
Blackstone began developing ‘Crystal City’ around 1990, dedicating much of his life to its realization and reconstituting the work in multiple locations. Robert Michael Blackstone (1971–2023) was born in Dayton, Ohio, and was largely raised by his grandmother, Aredia Goodson.
Originally conceived as an elegy for Blackstone’s grandmother, the project evolved into a reflection on social and economic injustice and a vision of a more unified, interconnected city.
The exhibition also features additional works by Blackstone drawn from the downtown Dayton bank building where he developed the project during its final years. Many of these sculptures attest to Blackstone’s interest in history, the passing of time and the human condition.
