Starfinder
OWEN MORREL
Reflecting Newport News’ role as a center of shipbuilding and the military and aerospace industries, Starfinder is an icon of nautical history with a nod to the astrolabe, an ancient navigational tool. This sculpture is a symbol of how scientific advancement and new technologies enable exploration, echoing the goals of its site – Tech Center Research Park. Making connections between past, present, and future technologies, it encourages visitors to explore new ideas in the arts and sciences, and collaborative ventures in business and manufacturing to advance our civilization.
NNPAF assisted W.M. Jordan with the commission and installation of Starfinder.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
OWEN MORREL
Artist Owen Morrel’s work is informed by a lifelong interest in astronomy, the open sea, and exploration. Born in Massapequa, Long Island, in 1950, Morrel grew up with the Atlantic Ocean in his backyard and spent much of his childhood on the water. He lived and worked on a fishing boat in the summers and began to draw ships and vessel-like forms. A strong interest in astronomy and primitive navigational devices inspired him to build telescopes. These early influences still guide his work.
Since the beginning of his career, Morrel has been creating works to enhance the quality of life for urban dwellers and visitors by engaging them as active participants in an unfamiliar and puzzling anomaly in the environment. He invents ways to surprise, excite and challenge the mind’s eye by creating space within each sculpture, where an act of discovery can occur. Morrel employs materials such as mirror polished stainless steel to include the viewer, the natural landscape, and the surrounding architecture in the work, forming an iconic image that instills civic pride.
Artist: Owen Morrel
Details: Stainless steel, mirror and aluminum, 15‘ diameter. Created in Coral Gables, FL; fabricated at La Paloma in Los Angeles, CA. Installed 2024.
Site: Tech Center Research Park’s Drillfield, 880 Tech Center Research Parkway
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