On the silver screen, moviemakers tell their stories, epic tales of human and superhuman conflict, and small yarns of love, laughter and car chases. Through the eyes of an artist inspired by astronomers, Elizabeth Indianos sees an unmistakable connection between the stargazing storytellers of old and today's spinners of tales, the movies. It was that link that she wanted to express in the monumental works she created for the lobby of Gainesville's new Royal Park Stadium 16 movie theater, which opens today. I feel a responsibility to make that connection, and to pay homage to those original storytellers. The original concept was the brainchild of the Alachua Astronomy Club, which was invited by Eastern Federal Corp. of Charlotte, N.C., to come up with an idea that would make the Royal Park stand out in the company's chain of 19 theaters.
Constellations tell stories, and the movies do too.
With this one we wanted to go one step further. An explanatory plaque the club designed and wrote will be permanently displayed in the lobby. Earlier this year, Cohen and other members of the club came up with a basic idea, then solicited proposals from Indianos and a couple of design studios. The club recommended Indianos, a 1973 UF fine arts graduate who has created large-scale works for the Tampa airport and other public places and private collections. Using sketches of the starscape Cohen had drawn, Indianos created nearly 20 mythological constellations.