Brownsville, TN, USA

8 S Monroe Ave Brownsville, Tennessee, 38012 United States, USA

35.593591, -89.266434

Mindfield Cemetery by Billy Tripp

A metalwork/multimedia sculpture in Brownsville, Tenn.

“The Mindfield” is the creation and life’s work of Brownsville, Tennessee 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. One of the latest large additions, 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 all of which are intermingled into a multi-layered yet deceptively simple tale. Billy is currently at work on volume two of this series, his “Goodbye.”

Beth Shaw Tripp

Billy Tripp's Mindfield

The monumental steel structure in Brownsville, Tennessee is the still unfinished life's work of Billy Tripp.

In 1989, Billy Tripp began translating the conversations he had with himself in his head, his experiences, and stations in life into steel sculptures. A diary in metal. Tripp acquired his knowledge of construction, statics, and art largely self-taught. Now and then he enlists the help of experts, but so far, the metal giant complies with all safety regulations.

At 38 meters at its highest point, the Mindfield stands between a motel, a car wash and a barbershop and is tolerated there by residents (Tripp isn't sure, but he definitely has the mayor's backing) and visited and studied by road trippers and art enthusiasts.

Though the Mindfield may seem industrial, it's full of poetry. Steel spirals rise up like candles. Ornate signs with affirmations, filigree strictures, steel tubes and metal utilitarian objects sway in the wind, turning the structure into a gigantic sound sculpture.

There is, in addition to thoughts on life and death, love for his wife and "Mindfield Interpreter” Beth and his deceased parents, a tribute to his favorite author William Least Heat-Moon in the form of a canoe, in the Mindfield. The author crossed America in this canoe and recorded his experiences in the book River-Horse: Across America by Boat.

Tripp also wrote a book, The Mindfield Years: Volume 1. The autobiographical work runs 725 pages and is filled with the artist's thought processes. You may be able to decipher something here and there, but overall the book is like Tripp's sculpture – massive, personal and not quite of this world.

In addition to the steel structures, watchtowers, silos and scaffolding, the one that “stands out” the most is the brightly painted circular water tower, titled In Honor of: Turd and testifies to Tripp's respect, even for the lowliest, a “turd.”

Tripp, despite his imposing work, is modest and can usually be found in his workshop directly behind the Mindfield where he readily provides information and also grants permission to wander among the sculpture.

Billy and me