Sun Tunnels is an earthwork composed of four concrete cylinders, each measuring eighteen feet in length and nine feet in diameter, installed in an X-shaped configuration in the Great Basin Desert. The work situates the human body within vast geological and astronomical systems, foregrounding perception as a primary sculptural medium. The four structures are precisely aligned to frame the rising and setting sun during the summer and winter solstices.

As the name suggests, this is Holt’s plan for the holes that were to perforate one of the concrete tunnels, as proxy for the Perseus constellation, in her landmark earthwork, Sun Tunnels. In selecting the constellations for each tunnel, Holt required that the stars be of different magnitudes, with enough stars in each constellation to encompass the top half of the tunnel. She wanted to ensure the presence of a few star holes at eye level, to allow for views from both inside and outside the tunnel.