World's Largest Granite Zipper Sculpture, world record in Barre, Vermont
Barre, Vermont, United States--"Unzipping the Earth” is the name of the 74-foot-long zipper created by Calais sculptor Chris Miller; the sculpture rests alongside the Studio Place Arts building on North Main Street in Barre, Vermont and sets the world record for being the World's Largest Granite Zipper Sculpture, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.
"As the granite capital of the state, this central Vermont community is home to a trove of wonderful stone sculptures. That includes one really large zipper," the Burlington Free Press says.
"“Unzipping the Earth” is the name of the 74-foot-long zipper created in 2014 by Calais sculptor Chris Miller. It’s not attached to a 450-foot-long pair of pants, but instead rests alongside the Studio Place Arts building on North Main Street in Barre. The sculpture serves as a downtown pocket park complete with seating and a collection of greenery growing out of its middle.
"“The basic concept they started with, was a stone wall holding a garden, with a granite sculpture at the more visible street end. The further constraints were that it must be kept very low to the ground, be whimsical and fun, and since it was sandwiched between two long buildings, it should not be linear!”
"It’s not every day that you can say you’ve looked at a zipper that’s over 70 feet long! So, if you’re curious to see this unique and usual attraction, which happens to also be the longest zipper in North America, head to Barre, Vermont. Since Barre is known as the "Granite Center of the World", it's not so unusual to see unique structures like this massive zipper in the midst of the city," the Only In Your State says.
"Called "Unzipping the Earth", this one-of-a-kind granite piece was sculpted by Chris Miller. As you can see, it's also become a unique tourist attraction for visitors looking for something different and adventurous to do in Vermont.
"You can easily make seeing "Unzipping the Earth" part of a bigger outing. Along with this tourist attraction, check out the local cemetery and quarry with more unique sculptures during your unforgettable adventure in Vermont."
"The 74-foot long whimsical zipper sculpture is made of blocks of native granite. Barre is known as the granite center of the world, and for good reason. Barre granite is the most sought after type of granite worldwide. It’s also renowned for its fine grain, even texture, and weather resistance, making it longer lasting than other granite stone," the Travel Like a Local: Vermont.
"The zipper resides in a “pocket park” right next to Studio Place Arts, who commissioned it. It’s located on North Main Street in Barre. The zipper’s alley has granite seating, along with perennials growing from the middle of the zipper. It’s a beautiful sight to see in full bloom!
"The largest zipper piece of art is called “Unzipping the Earth”. Calais, Vermont local Chris Miller sculpted by in 2014 as a commission from Studio Place Arts. They wanted something low to the round, fun, and whimsical and to sit in an alley space next to their building."
"When Studio Place Arts commissioned sculptor Chris Miller to create Barre’s newest public artwork, he was faced with a unique challenge: Craft an engaging structure — from Barre gray granite, of course — to fill the long but narrow space between the downtown gallery and the new Barre City Place building on Main Street," the Seven Days Vermont says.
"“When I kept sketching out the design as a stone wall, it kept looking more and more like a zipper,” says Miller. Which is exactly what it became: a 74-foot-long, undulating granite zipper. The sculpture evokes the sense of “the Earth opening up,” Miller says, a perfect thematic fit for a garden.
"The pocket park, which doubles as a main entrance to Barre City Place, takes the place of the temporary sculpture park SPA created on the vacant lot before construction began on the new building."
"That’s right, the open and undulating 68-foot-long granite zipper that now sits between Studio Place Arts (SPA) and Barre City Place, and the full-depth reconstruction that transformed a half-mile stretch of the road that runs through downtown Barre, will be among 14 projects honored during a Thursday afternoon ceremony hosted by Gov. Peter Shumlin in Montpelier," the Studio Place Arts says.
"The scale of the projects are as different as their price tags, but local officials say both are symbolic of a downtown renaissance that is underway. Unlike the “Big Dig,” which took more than two decades to design and two years to construct, the zipper pocket park was almost an afterthought, according to SPA Executive Director Sue Higby, who didn’t think much of the walkway initially proposed by Barre City Place developer DEW Properties LLC.
"“The idea was to do something beautiful and create a place to linger,” she said, crediting Calais sculptor Chris Miller with proposing the massive zipper — complete with teeth and pull — that he carved and installed in October of 2013 and that she planted last spring. “There’s really nothing like it around,” she said.
"Barre granite /ˈbæri/ is a Devonian granite pluton near the town of Barre in Washington County, Vermont. Richardson described it as a "fine granite, composed of quartz, feldspar, and mica. The mica is both muscovite and biotite." It intrudes into the Waits River Formation.
"The granite is mined at the E. L. Smith Quarry, the world's largest "deep hole" granite quarry, owned by the Rock of Ages Corporation. All of the stones in the Hope Cemetery in neighboring city of Barre are made with Barre granite. "Barre Gray" granite is sought after worldwide for its fine grain, even texture, and superior weather resistance.
"Many sculpture artists prefer it for outdoor sculpture. Sculptor Frank Gaylord used it for the United States Korean War Memorial at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery, Busan, South Korea."
(Wikipedia)
Photos: World's Largest Granite Zipper Sculpture, world record in Barre, Vermont
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