0065--The Mindfield

Next stop: “The Mindfield,” the creation and life’s work of Brownsville, TN, artist Billy Tripp. He began building it in 1989 and plan for it to continue to evolve until his death, at which point it will become the site of his interment.

Photos can't really do this work justice. It covers almost an acre and is an incredibly kinetic work, with pieces dinging and swinging with every breeze. Complex pieces of metal create text throughout the sculpture, and painted wood pieces (and a hand-assembled water tower) add to the assemblage. We stood in silence, taking it all in, for a long, long time.

According to Roadside America, "Included in the network of steel are individual pieces representing various events and periods of Billy’s life, especially the death of his father, Rev. Charles Tripp, in 2002. The latest addition, a water tower salvaged from a defunct factory in Western Kentucky, was dismantled, transported to Brownsville, and reconstructed single-handedly by the artist. It now stands as a memorial to Billy’s parents as well as a testimonial to his current life, his belief in the inherent beauty of our world, and the importance of tolerance in our communities and governmental systems."