String of light that connects all things
A Series of Temporary Installations Along the California Coastline
Each piece weighs approximately 24–40 pounds, with dimensions not exceeding 10 feet in any direction.
Working with the day's ocean tide, the pieces are installed in the early afternoon and removed at dusk.
Installation requires no invasive construction equipment. Kate Mueller uses her body weight to embed the base of each piece 12 inches into the sand and sinks the cross-support beams just below the surface to conceal them.
The installations' ephemeral nature serves as a reminder of the fragility of the coastal environment and the importance of responsible stewardship.
Each temporary pop-up installation is conducted with the permission of the appropriate city channels.
Leo Installation, Ventura, 2025
Celestial Reference
String of Light That Connects All Things is a series of temporary land art installations that bring the cosmos down to the shoreline. Kate Mueller welds each new steel form from the steel of previous installations. Every piece is placed and spaced on purpose, so the footprint where it meets the sand traces a constellation visible in that month's night sky. The choice honors how early humans used the stars to measure time and plant crops, marking the seasons by events like the equinoxes and the winter solstice. At low tide, the constellation is drawn on the shore. As the tide rises the forms are in a dance with time and the tide—changing in every moment.
Constellations are some of the oldest shared images people have. The stars in a constellation aren't actually near one another. They sit at very different distances, and a constellation exists only because someone looked up and chose to connect them. That act of connection is at the heart of this work: invisible lines that carry meaning, like the ties between people, the places we share, and the interconnectedness of all things.
Constellation Leo for August, Installation in Ventura CA 2025
String of Light That Connects All Things invites the community to experience the beach at sunset through a series of steel, portal-like forms inspired by ancient structures built in alignment with the stars. The work reflects our rituals, the stories we share of the place we have in the cosmos, and our interconnectedness with ecologies
String of Light That Connects All Things is part of Mueller’s ongoing series of temporary, place-responsive works that invite viewers to frame and reframe their point of view. Placed in concert with the expansive horizon of the Pacific Ocean, the installation offers a quiet invitation—encouraging visitors to experience the beach not as a backdrop, but as an active participant in the work. As the sun lowers toward the horizon, light, shadow, and structure merge to create a meditative encounter rooted in community and nature.
Drawing inspiration from ancient structures such as Stonehenge and constellations visible in our night sky, Mueller’s steel, portal-like forms function as contemplative markers in the landscape. Aligned with the stars and the passage of time, the work envisions an unbroken thread connecting humanity through ritual, storytelling, and a collective relationship to the cosmos and the environment.
This project is made possible in part by:
some-thing Foundation STEAM grant. Sparking connections between art and science to shape a brighter future.
The Spring 2026 CE Artist & Creative Grant
The City Of Santa Monica’s Cultural Affairs AoR Grant