The Unscalable Rampart of Time

Jordan Powers Photography

Short description

In January 2023 I was commissioned to photograph and film this architecturally designed, five-story sculpture from artist Jacob Hashimoto w/ Superabundant Atmospheres called ‘The Unscalable Rampart of Time,’ at the Nashville airport (BNA). Over the course of 2 days, I composed around 15 different frames to capture the installation throughout both days to show how light and people move throughout the sculpture in this environment.

Composed of 9,000 washi paper and bamboo kites, "The Unscalable Rampart of Time" is Jacob Hashimoto’s largest and most ambitious permanent sculpture to date. The form undulates around the oculus and lunges down into the atrium below, cascading past the escalator and mezzanine. As a whole, the composition evokes the regional landscape’s hills and waterways below and Nashville’s open skies above. The kites contain references to local iconography, architecture, and natural elements, including The Ryman Theater, The Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge, Cumberland Park, dogwoods, milkweed, and irises. With such visible placement in the terminal, passengers can experience the piece at a variety of speeds and scales: driving up to drop a loved one off at Departures or waiting with a coffee beneath the gently swaying kites.