Located in Boston Harbor, four miles southeast of Logan Airport, Spectacle Island is so named for its pair of drumlin hills connected by a sandbar.  As part of the Boston Harbor Islands, under the umbrella of the National Parks system, the area saw a major renewal of its ecosystem in the last quarter-century with the Boston Harbor Project clean-up efforts, waste management programs for the City of Boston, and new emphasis on the islands' natural resources and rich history of American Indian occupation and metropolitan growth. 

Spectacle Island, in particular, has reinvented its previous identification as a factory, shipping, and residential island, and later a disposal site for the "Big Dig." Its recent land sculpting, replanting, and opening to the public in 2005 is complete with a Visitor's Center, a marina, walking trails, and beaches.  David Phillips and Charles Jones, both of Hillside Sculpture Studios, have worked closely with the Boston Harbor Island Alliance to create a sheltered space for reflection at the northeastern tip of the island.  This site serves as a gateway and a unique vantage point between downtown Boston and open expanses of water.  The shelter and benches contribute to the island's new identity by offering an exceptional perspective on the revived, complex ecosystem of Boston Harbor and the changes it has undergone through both humankind and natural processes.  These changes span centuries, even millennia, and they continue on a daily basis.