Brownsville, Tennessee: Billy Tripp's Mindfield

Billy Tripp's Mindfield is located in town behind a barber shop and motel. Hard to see while driving unless you look up. Close view is obstructed by commercial buildings on three sides but is impressive nonetheless.

Take the time to look for the details, as there are many. You won't see them if you just glance at this very large piece of artwork -- one man's ingenuity and imagination.

"The Mindfield" is the creation and life's work of Brownsville artist Billy Tripp. The structure was begun in 1989 and will continue to evolve until Billy's death, at which point it will become the site of his interment.

Included in the network of steel are individual pieces representing various events and periods of Billy's life, especially the death of his father, Rev. Charles Tripp, in 2002. The latest addition, a water tower salvaged from a defunct factory in Western Kentucky, was dismantled, transported to Brownsville, and reconstructed single-handedly by the artist. It now stands as a memorial to Billy's parents as well as a testimonial to his current life, his belief in the inherent beauty of our world, and the importance of tolerance in our communities and governmental systems.

Billy's book, The Mindfield Years, is a further representation of his life told through the voices of three main characters and their efforts to find meaning, purpose, and contentment in the existence to which they were born. Written in stream-of-consciousness style, the novel contains elements of short story, poetry, philosophy, and psychology intermingled into a multi-layered yet deceptively simple tale.

This "sculpture" is about an acre of rambling gray steel. There seems to be no theme, other than a lot of tall iron girders painted gray and some interesting shapes cut into them or made from them. But it is intriguing and worth seeing.

It's a giant steel sculpture, yes, but it's so much more. The MindField is beyond description. You must see for yourself.