Despite being outside for more than a month in a typically rainy city, guest instructor Michael Magrath’s three-sculpture series made almost entirely of salt has, surprisingly, managed to remain intact.

At least for now.

Appropriately titled Lot’s Tribe, it references the biblical story in which Lot’s wife is turned into a pillar of salt after disobeying God’s one command to her.

Magrath, a guest instructor at the UW’s school of art, made this intentionally dissolving series as a memorial to post-Sept. 11, 2001 victims from other countries.

The inspiration came to him while looking at Internet photos of the Iraq war.

“I was wondering why there were no compelling images,” Magrath said. “I then realized there were just so many that it washes over you, … creating a diluting impact.”

The series, which took about a year to construct, consists of three life-size sculptures of civilian victims: a blindfolded boy, squatting with his hands bound behind him; a man sitting cross-legged with an obvious look of despair upon his face; and a man carrying the body of his dead son.

“I felt Professor Magrath’s outcome was empathetically thought-provoking and executed masterfully,” said Andrew Fallat, one of the UW’s student volunteers for the project.

The sculpture could additionally be seen as a performance piece, Magrath said.

“[It is] a sculpture that changes … evolving into different characters” due to its medium, he said.

Along with creating a memorial, Magrath said he hopes Lot’s Tribe will broaden perspectives and allow the public to make connections to the effects Sept. 11 has on places such as Baghdad.

Last week, Magrath decided to extend the project into a series with several installations. With each recasting, Magrath will add a new figure to the previous installation, ultimately striving to create a series with 100 total sculptures.

He said he hopes to display them in New York and London, then in other cities such as Jerusalem and Baghdad.

Magrath’s goal is to raise interest in post-Sept. 11 civilian victims and to get other sculptors involved in the project, too.

“I am looking forward to [his] next project,” said James Ryan, another UW student volunteer.

The first installation of Lot’s Tribe is on display at Occidental Park, near the Elliott Bay Book Company. It is expected to last until around Christmas, depending on weather conditions.

Contributing writer Jasmine Ines: development@thedaily.washington.edu