The Source, Rockne Krebs, 1980.

“The approval of more than ten federal agencies was required before the artist could complete this sculptural work using two argon lasers with split beams to connect the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, and the White House.” Public Art Proposals, 1992. Published by the International Contemporary Art Fair, Japan. Chapter: Cities and Art, Rockne Krebs, The Source, 1980, National Mall, Washington, D.C., USA, International Sculpture Center.

Images: Ephemeral public art installation process for The Source captured on film. Rockne was assisted by Sid Smith and Elizabeth Woodside. Photographer: We have narrowed it down to three possibilities.

Study for “The Source” A Piece about the Space Between (detail), Rockne Krebs, 1979. This drawing detail shows Rockne’s laser beam from the Lincoln Memorial as it bounced off a 10’ x 3 ‘ mirror he installed in the Reflecting Pool for his laser sculpture The Source.

*Sid polishing the mirror in the Reflecting Pool.

*Sid Smith was a close friend of Rockne’s from 1975 until Rockne’s passing in 2011, assisting on numerous public art installations throughout the 1970s through the 1990s.

*Sid was a Vietnam veteran, the 173rd Airborne Brigade’s Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) unit, 1966-1967. During a visit to DC in 2017, Sid mentioned that he had been photographed while standing watch at the Memorial years ago. We recently found a copy of the book with the photograph: The Wall: Images and Offerings from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, by Sal Lopes and Michael Norman (1987).

“The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is a rectangular pool located on the National Mall...

Part of the iconic image of Washington, DC, the reflecting pool hosts visitors who visit the National Mall.

It is lined by walking paths and shade trees on both sides. Depending on the viewer’s vantage point, it DRAMATICALLY REFLECTS the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Mall’s trees, and the expansive sky.”

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