In What Distant Sky

2013-2020

In What Distant Sky is a choreographed video and site-specific installation filmed inside the decommissioned coal-handling infrastructure of MASS MoCA’s former power plant. The camera follows a lone performer who ascends through fabricated “coal boulders,” a cliff-edge teahouse, and other constructed vignettes built within the cavernous bin, transforming an industrial ruin into a theatre of cosmic wonder. The project developed from the McMillans’ 2012–2013 WaterFire residency, where they designed and publicly launched the Coal Bin Project, a procession of nine monumental faux-coal sculptures that later informed the MASS MoCA set and installation.