NY Aquarium
New York Aquarium Facade, Cony Island, NY
The design of the kinetic skin for the New York Aquarium on Cony Island evolved through a collaboration with Portico and ESKW Architects. Inspired by fish scales and the coordinated movement of schools of fish, the artwork consists of tens of thousands of hinged aluminum and stainless steel plates that sway in the wind and reflect light and color from the sky and the immediate surroundings. Like the surface of the ocean, the artwork changes from moment to moment as it responds to and reveals the comings and goings of the wind, clouds and ambient light. The artwork blurs the boundary between the building and the atmosphere of the earth creating a sensitive register for the complex patterns embedded in the natural wind. Completed in 2018.