Chloe Bass’s “Soft Services” Give Pause and Reflection

If you’ve found yourself in Volunteer Park in the last few years, you may have come across a gathering of large stones with smooth surfaces and words printed on their faces. You might wonder about their purpose. Some seem short enough to be seats, but others are taller and appear to be tombstones or monoliths. They stick out from the green of Volunteer Park, the moist grass and grand, fluffy trees. Though they are natural stone, it is easy to pick out these structures as being different and purposeful, especially as you arc past a new bend in one of Volunteer Park’s many pathways and see another stone off in the distance, beckoning. These pieces fascinate and enchant, inviting us to question their meaning.