Not too far away and not too, too long ago, an interstellar collision took place between an asteroid and our planet. Artist/architect duo Jason Klimoski and Lesley Chang, known as StudioKCA, created Interstellar Influencer to explore the impact of the asteroid that hit Earth 35 million years ago near what is now Alexandria. The installation uses metal, water, and light to create a 1:1000 scale representation of the asteroid and the 85-kilometer-wide, 1.5-kilometer-deep crater it left behind that helped to shape the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed and the flow of water through its rivers and tributaries in the process. On the ground beneath the asteroid, silver concentric circles radiate out from the point of impact, showing the ripple-effect of the collision.

Visitors can come explore the artwork and consider a new perspective on history, place, and the environment. Leslie Chang of StudioKCA explains, “We want this representation of the asteroid and its impact to raise awareness of the fragility of our shared existence on this planet and the extraordinary (and sometime extraterrestrial) foundation of our modern cities and waterways.” Jason Klimoski of StudioKCA adds, “We all share this one planet and live within the history of events that shaped it. Sometimes you have to look at it from the point of view of an asteroid hurtling through space 35,000,000 years ago to appreciate just how incredible it is we’re here at all.”