New permanent sculpture shines in Grangebel Park

Due to cloud cover hiding the moon at times, it isn’t visible in the night sky. It will always shine in Grangebel Park in Riverhead though, thanks to an illuminated moon sculpture installed recently.

Towering at 17 feet tall and weighing 350 pounds, it is made of aluminum, is solar-powered and was grounded in a yard of concrete last week with the help of the Riverhead Town Building and Grounds department.

“My hope is that people will look down the whole length of the park and see it,” said New York based sculptor, painter, and writer Clayton Orehek. According to his website, his work is often associated with conceptual art and Dadaism.

The permanent piece was sponsored by East End Arts.

According to previous reporting, Mr. Orehek is currently working on two intersecting arcs, 10 feet in diameter and constructed with aluminum and acrylic as part of Reflextions: Art in the Park, a long-running series of installations sponsored by the Riverhead Business Improvement District and funding from state and county revitalization grants. “We hope to have that done by this July,” he said.

“Orehek’s interest in light, electricity, energy stems from an early exposure to life and work of Nikola Tesla. Orehek’s grandfather, Tesla’s countryman, used to attend Tesla’s lectures and demonstrations in New York City, passing on the passion for innovation and knowledge to his grandson,” reads Mr. Orehek’s website.

“To transmute the ordinary, daily objects into sculpture, to create the unexpected, unprecedented environment, has been my lifelong interest and pursuit,” Mr. Orehek said.