The stairs of this sculpture are made of black granite. They evoke the image of a war memorial, without specifically referencing life or death. It shows how to get from the word Body to the word Soul by changing one letter at a time to create a new four letter word.
The artist, Mary-Louise Browne, invites the visitor to climb the stairs:
“Think about the balance or imbalance between psyche and nature. Without death, there is no life. Without shadow, there is no sunlight. The intention is to create an atmosphere, intensified by the placement of text, to remind the viewer of the power of nature and the transitory quality of life, that all things must pass.”
It was installed in 1996 in the Botanic Gardens, part of a sculpture trail..