I got about halfway up Hancock Hill Saturday morning before noticing a strange structure glimmering in the distance. Doubling back for a closer look, I discovered it was a plastic wrap sculpture of six ghostly figures kneeling, their arms flailing in the air. The largest of the life-sized figures is headless and it’s unclear if this is artistic license or the work of ravenous deer.
When I looked closer, I could see that what I at first thought was structural wire, was actually LED lighting. Each figure is wired and has it’s own power supply box with on/off switch. The desert is a rough place, so I didn’t expect the lights to work- but by some miracle they do!
I spent the next two days wondering what the hell it was supposed to mean. I wanted to go back and visit the sculpture again at dark, but wasn’t able to get back up the hill for two days. It was visible as a ghostly speck of light on the mountain each night. When I finally hiked back up tonight, the sculpture had mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Perhaps this is a traveling installment, moving with each gust of wind.

John Kuehne and I left the Fine Arts building on Friday, evening, and both of us spotted a lit object, halfway up the trail on Hancock Hill. We both mused about what it was. With my poor eyesight, I decided it was a stray marfa light! Now I wish I had been closer!
Hi Carol- I recently got a hot tip as to who might have created the sculpture. Maybe I can get them to answer our questions and convince them to put up another!
We saw this a week ago, too. There was no one on campus on Sunday afternoon to ask. If you find out what it is, please let us know!
It’s turned into quite a mystery. I’ll be sure to post here if I find anything out.