Christmas Sun

Christmas time is a celebration of life, just after the sun reaches its lowest point.

A Christmas tree is an evergreen, it is one of the few plants to remain constant all year round and perhaps reminds us that life carries on.

This model shows the position of the sun every month on the 21st day. December 21st is the shortest day and June 21st is the longest day in Northern Europe (the model shows the positions in Edinburgh, or the same latitude elsewhere).

If you're on a mobile phone click on the symbol at the bottom right of the model to view it with Augmented Reality. Try projecting it onto a table or floor and moving around the artwork. On a desktop you can click, drag and zoom by using gestures or a scroll wheel

About this artwork

Each vertical column has a large hole at the top which you can look through, or shine a light through to experience the angle of the sun in Edinburgh during the year (56 ° latitude). There are a number of small holes at the base of each vertical to represent the month, from 1 - 12.

In order to experience the angle of the sun in December look through the hole on the shortest column towards the tree, this column has 12 small holes at its base. Looking through the hole at the top of the tallest column, which represents June 21st, shows the angle of the sun on the longest day of the year, this column has 6 small holes at its base. In this way you can experience the suns progression throughout the year in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh is the latitude where the artist lives, it's also on a latitude that represents the experience of many in northern parts of Europe, a place with very little sun in winter and a lot of sun in summer. As humans we experience things in the moment, by viewing the sun's position over a whole year you can experience a more holistic view of time and place.

This artwork is available as a 3D printed model, which is assembled as a kit and a plotted drawing.