Sarah Sze: Fallen Sky

Production | Acquisition Grant

Fallen Sky is a major new sculpture by Sarah Sze, a 36-foot diameter spherical cavity sheathed in stainless steel that will mirror the sky from earth. Conceived to develop organically from the landscape and in conversation with other artworks in the park, this monumental yet seemingly delicate artwork will be installed along the main thoroughfare and visible from up to a quarter of a mile away. “As visitors peer into the reflection they are immersed in the sky from above and below, teetering between a sense that the sculpture has dropped from above and a sense that it is emerging from the earth.” Sze adds: “You will see the entire landscape differently.” Taking up residence in a hollow left behind by a toppled oak tree, Sze’s sculpture draws inspiration from other geological formations and manmade structures that set the earth in conversation with the cosmos. She was particularly inspired by feats of engineering and natural erosion that left concave recesses in the ground. Whether carefully calculated like the measuring instruments for solar and lunar rays at the Indian astrological site, Jantar Mantar, or formed by chance through volcanic eruption, as were the rocks in Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway, Sze was impressed by the fact that each site provides a collective experience in relation to the forces of nature.