Emiel Dekker
Tsunami 1.26
Amsterdam Light Festival.
Janet Echelman’s 230-foot-long aerial sculpture was installed over the Amstel River from atop the Amsterdam Stopera, which houses the City Hall and Muziektheater. The sculpture is a made entirely of soft materials, including Spectra® fiber, a material 15 times stronger than steel by weight, which allows it to attach to existing architecture without extra reinforcement. A unique lighting program integrates an undulation of changing and contrasting colors, reflected on the water below. The sculpture becomes an ethereal form which transforms day to night, and in darkness appears to “float in thin air.”
The form and content of the artwork draws inspiration from the interconnectedness of Earth’s systems. The artist used laboratory data from NASA and NOAA on the effects of the 2010 Chile earthquake, and the resulting 1.26-microsecond shortening of the Earth’s day. The sculpture’s three-dimensional form is inspired by the Echelman’s mapping of tsunami wave heights across an entire ocean.
As the signature project of the 2012–2013 Amsterdam Light Festival, the artwork underscores global interdependence.
“In Amsterdam, the river and canals have been central to city life for the last four centuries,” said Echelman. “The light reflections on the water’s surface become a focus of the sculpture here, creating an opportunity for contemplation. The sculpture invites you to pause and consider how we’re knitted into a larger fabric.”
Rogier van der Heide, curator of the Amsterdam Light Festival, said Echelman’s sculpture “provided more meaning to public spaces, showed the beauty of simplicity, and – probably most importantly – brought people together.”
The installation in the Netherlands was the European premiere of the 1.26 project, which has now been exhibited on three continents. It was originally suspended from the Denver Art Museum to commemorate the inaugural Biennial of the Americas in 2010. In 2011, it travelled to Australia, where it was suspended in front of Sydney’s historic Town Hall.
(Source: Wikipedia)
Taken by: Emiel Dekker (emield.myportfolio.com/)
Tsunami 1.26
Amsterdam Light Festival.
Janet Echelman’s 230-foot-long aerial sculpture was installed over the Amstel River from atop the Amsterdam Stopera, which houses the City Hall and Muziektheater. The sculpture is a made entirely of soft materials, including Spectra® fiber, a material 15 times stronger than steel by weight, which allows it to attach to existing architecture without extra reinforcement. A unique lighting program integrates an undulation of changing and contrasting colors, reflected on the water below. The sculpture becomes an ethereal form which transforms day to night, and in darkness appears to “float in thin air.”
The form and content of the artwork draws inspiration from the interconnectedness of Earth’s systems. The artist used laboratory data from NASA and NOAA on the effects of the 2010 Chile earthquake, and the resulting 1.26-microsecond shortening of the Earth’s day. The sculpture’s three-dimensional form is inspired by the Echelman’s mapping of tsunami wave heights across an entire ocean.
As the signature project of the 2012–2013 Amsterdam Light Festival, the artwork underscores global interdependence.
“In Amsterdam, the river and canals have been central to city life for the last four centuries,” said Echelman. “The light reflections on the water’s surface become a focus of the sculpture here, creating an opportunity for contemplation. The sculpture invites you to pause and consider how we’re knitted into a larger fabric.”
Rogier van der Heide, curator of the Amsterdam Light Festival, said Echelman’s sculpture “provided more meaning to public spaces, showed the beauty of simplicity, and – probably most importantly – brought people together.”
The installation in the Netherlands was the European premiere of the 1.26 project, which has now been exhibited on three continents. It was originally suspended from the Denver Art Museum to commemorate the inaugural Biennial of the Americas in 2010. In 2011, it travelled to Australia, where it was suspended in front of Sydney’s historic Town Hall.
(Source: Wikipedia)
Taken by: Emiel Dekker (emield.myportfolio.com/)