Barry X Ball: The Shape of Time

Barry X Ball brings a decade of technical precision to the Benedictine community of San Giorgio Maggiore, placing twenty-three works within the mathematical grace of Andrea Palladio's architecture. His practice bridges the gap between digital innovation and classical stone-carving, using 3D scanning and computer-controlled milling to reinterpret historical forms—from Michelangelo’s unfinished pietàs to golden Buddhist herms. It is an exploration of how sacred spaces can still breathe through the lens of modern materials like Iranian onyx and solid silver.

You're watching the sun filter through the high windows of the basilica, catching the translucent pink of the Yvette Guilbert sculpture and the metallic gleam of the silver Pope Saint John Paul II. The air is cool and quiet, scented with the wood of the ancient stalls and the salt of the lagoon outside. These heavy, meticulously polished stones feel weightless against the white stone walls, creating a rhythm of symmetry that honors the church's monastic stillness while introducing a sharp, digital edge.