Sculpted by internationally renowned Dame Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth, “A Conversation with Magic Stones” is a cluster of metallic shapes near the Center for the Sciences and Innovation and Coates Library. The sculpture provides a gathering place for students to study and converse.
“A Conversation with Magic Stones” was given to the University in 1983 by Jane and Arthur Stieren. The couple had spent a prior year traveling and looking at different pieces before they decided on Hepworth, an influential English sculptor known for her lyrical forms and her focus on the counterplay between mass and space. Their gift also included Henry Moore’s sculpture “Large Interior Form,” located on the Coates Esplanade.
"This beautiful work revives, not coldly and mechanically, but with the experience of age, certain ideas about ‘presences’ and dialogues in sculpture which inspired the sculptor in youth and age alike." - Douglas Hall, Scottish Arts Council
Hepworth’s piece is considered a classic modern art sculpture. The area around the library was purposefully landscaped, and the mound formed, to add to the mystery of the work. The sculpture is meant to rise out of the land or sea mysteriously.
Considered a GPA-boosting good luck charm, the Magic Stones have been a popular study spot for students.
Over the years, students have embraced the sculpture as an integral part of the Trinity experience. The sculpture is purported to have mystical GPA-boosting powers. During finals, students flock to the magic stones, books and coffee in hand, to get a little extra luck on their exams.
You might be interested in
