KSU sculpture, which signifies Earth’s fragility, once collapsed

Q: I was at KSU recently and couldn’t help but notice a big sculpture of Earth outside a building. What is its purpose?

A: You are referring to Spaceship Earth a 175-ton circular sculpture, on the southeast corner of the Social Sciences Building on the Kennesaw campus.

A life-size bronze figure of environmentalist David Brower, who was the first executive director of the Sierra Club, is stationed near the top of the sculpture. Spaceship Earth was unveiled to the public in October 2006 and was created by Finnish-born sculp- tor Eino, according to the KSU website.

The $1 million sculpture was considered one of Eino’s most notable projects. The design consists of a 15-foot-diameter sphere and is made of 88 separate pieces of Brazilian blue quartzite, as well as 2,400 bronze pieces attached to the face of the 22-foot-high globe, according to the school.

The sculpture, meant to signify Earth’s fragility, fell apart on the night of Dec. 29, 2006.

Theengraved phrase “our fragile craft” was visible amid the debris, according to NBC News.

“Kind of ironic,” Mary-Elizabeth Watson, a university employee, told the network at the time. “I had no idea it was made up of so many pieces.”

The artist told the New York Times in February 2007 he saw “very clear evidence” of vandalism.

The newspaper also reported it could have be a “combination of substandard adhesive and rain” that caused it to crumble.

“How can stone collapse by itself ?” Eino asked at the time. “I’m devastated.”

It took the artist nearly four months to rebuild the world.

Spaceship Earth was commissioned by Jennifer and Brian Maxwell, founders of PowerBar, as a tribute to Brower, who died in 2000, according to KSU.

When 220 students were asked recently if they understood the significance of the Spaceship Earth sculpture a few yards away from the class they were in, none did. Actual Factual Georgia runs on Sundays. If you’re new in town or have questions about this special place we call home, ask us. E-mail your request to atlactualfact@gmail.com.

AJC 2007 Sculptor Eino created Spaceship Earth at Kennessaw State in October 2006 and had to restore it just months later when the 175-ton sculpture collapsed.