The Inverted Portal

Created in 2015, the Inverted Portal is the second of the three sculptures by Ensamble Studio for Tippet Rise.

Like Ensamble Studio's other works at Tippet Rise, the Inverted Portal was cast from the land beneath it: two large concrete forms dug from the earth on which the sculpture now stands.

Ensamble Studio's works at Tippet Rise map a constellation on the land. They emerge autochthonously from the earth, visceral manifestations of nature.

The Inverted Portal measures 40' 2 1/4" x 17' 11 3/4" x 22' 5 1/2" and each side of the sculpture weighs over 200 tons.

Tippet Rise is a working cattle and sheep ranch. Elk, deer and antelope roam the landscape, too. Creatures of all kinds seek shelter beneath Ensamble Studio's sculptural structures.

And atop them.

The Inverted Portal's texture was formed by the wrinkles in the plastic tarp that held the concrete in its form as it cured.

Ensamble Studio's works at Tippet Rise are equal parts concert space, sculpture, and land art.

"Just one of the slabs can be measured in hundreds of thousands of pounds, one side of which, as my guide (and Tippet director of operations) Pete Hinmon calculates, weighs about the same as '400 grand pianos.'"
-National Geographic Traveler

Ensamble Studio's works at Tippet Rise "are striking because they mirror the landscape rather than offering your usual contemporary juxtaposition that highlights the differences between the art and the scenery."
-Slate magazine