Suspended in the atrium of the State Docking Building in Topeka, Kansas, this pink fluffy cloud looks like it just floated indoors. Astra was created by Vancouver Island-based artist David Spriggs, who’s known for his atmospheric installations that blur the line between the 2D and 3D worlds.
Astra might look like a real cloud or a huge piece of cotton candy, but the incredible work is actually made from layers of transparent planes. Each plane features a transparent image, and has been aligned in space to form a three-dimensional cloud shape that appears to change and shift as you move around it. Soft pinks and dark blues flow through the see-through layers, creating fleeting and ephemeral shapes like organic clouds. The mirrored ceiling above makes the artwork look like it continues upwards beyond the ceiling, as if it could float into a new dimension.
Commissioned by the State of Kansas, Spriggs was inspired by the “beautiful and ever-changing Kansas sky.” The title echoes the Kansas Latin motto Ad Astra per Aspera, meaning “to the stars through difficulty.” It’s now permanently installed in the Robert B. Docking State Office Building in Topeka, and stands as a symbol of openness and innovation.
Check out Astra below and see more of the artist’s incredible work on David Spriggs’ website.
An installation called Astra, by artist David Spriggs, looks like a real cloud floating inside the Robert B. Docking State Office Building in Topeka, Kansas.
The piece is built from layered transparent planes, each printed with an image and aligned to form a shifting, cloud-like shape that changes as you move around it.
Spriggs was inspired by the “beautiful and ever-changing Kansas sky.”
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David Spriggs: Website | Facebook | Instagram
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by David Spriggs.
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