Scaling a Pyramid

Jonathan Latiano

Combining microphotography and installation sculpture to explore the subjective nature of scale, this exhibition reveals the intricate density of the natural world and the hidden beauty embedded within everyday life.

Upon entering the gallery, viewers encounter a single pedestal at the center of the space, supporting a tiny sandcastle pyramid. Surrounding it on the walls are thousands of photographs, each capturing one of the individual grains of sand that make up the pyramid. The pyramid is built from coral sand, composed of countless fragments of marine life, including coral, bivalves, and other sea creatures. The sandcastle itself is modeled after the Great Pyramid of Giza, the largest and most iconic of the Egyptian pyramids.

Originally nearly 500 feet tall, the Great Pyramid is recreated by the artist at 1:5,700th scale, measuring only a few inches high. At first glance, the pyramid and these grains of sand may seem diametrically opposed; however, when presented together, they reveal striking similarities. Each grain of sand, like the pyramids, is an artifact of time: a byproduct of countless past events, shaped by compounding natural forces. Though radically different in size, both exude a sense of monumentality and challenge our assumptions about scale and the boundaries of individual objects.