Geometer’s Gate is the first piece in what the Benson Arts Advisory Board plans to be a rotating “sculpture tour” in town. There are similar sculpture programs in the downtowns of Clayton, Cary, and Fayetteville, among many other towns and cities across North Carolina and the nation.

The metal sculpture, which stands just over 10-feet tall, is an amalgam of different shapes and colors — a yellow cylinder, orange circle, red triangle, blue and green rectangles, a small powder blue sphere, and a large purple cube. A “geometer” is a mathematician whose area of study is geometry. The idea behind the piece was to highlight the historical contributions of these revolutionary geometers throughout the ages.

“The sculpture consists of geometric shapes, roughly in the form of a gate,” explained Mr. Pilkey. “This work is a praise of the mathematical minds throughout history that have helped to shape our view of the cosmos.” If you look closely in the large green rectangle, you’ll notice the small silhouette of a person. “There’s a character, a figure on this sculpture that represents Galileo with a telescope looking up at the heavens,” said Mr. Pilkey.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Mr. Pilkey has been making art and sculpture since he was 15-years-old. “I tend to look at things from space — looking at the human condition,” he said. “I was formally trained as a geologist and a geologist looks at the world from a historical perspective. The evolution of the planet, the evolution of life, the evolution of technology.”

His work can be seen all over North Carolina in places like Fayetteville, Mebane, Rocky Mount, and Charlotte. He also has several pieces at locations around the United States like Clarksville Commons Shopping Center in Maryland, the Knoxville Zoo and Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Tennessee, and the City of Port Huron in Michigan.

Mr. Pilkey has also been featured in several international art shows in Korea and Turkey. “I’ve always been doing sculpture and artwork and things like that — I was born this way,” he said.

As for Geometer’s Gate in Benson, Mr. Pilkey said he simply wants people to enjoy his work. “If they want to ponder for a moment the tribute, the homage to the geometers — going all the way back to the Ancient Greeks and coming into modern times with Einstein — that’s ok, but this particular work is visual entertainment,” he explained. “I want people to look at the work until they see it. Look at the forms and then enjoy them.”

View more of Charles Pilkey’s work at www.technozoicdreams.com.