In May of 2012, The Metropolitan Museum of Art had its 15th annual rooftop sculpture done by Argentinian artist Tomás Saraceno who took this as an opportunity to flex his originality and create Cloud Cities: 16 connected, angular domes clumped together like frothing bubbles on the museum’s Iris and B.
Gerald Cantor roof garden. As Saraceno’s first major commissioned installation in the US, he decided to follow the theme of biology and habitat, bringing science into the world of architecture. This constellation of interconnected modules was meant to encourage the viewers to re-consider the way we experience the environment around us.
Courtesy of Tomás Saraceno – Photography by Jens Ziehe
At 54 feet long and 29 feet tall, these modules were made with 20 tons of stainless steel, geometric glass segments, cables, and reinforcements. Inside, there was a small stairway that leads visitors up and into the modules, giving them a chance to really put their heads in the clouds.
The reflective/transparent surfaces of the geodesic domes created spatial illusions and generated a sense of disorientation for the visitors, but was all around entertaining experience. Saraceno described the sensation of being in Cloud Cities as “a walk in the sky.”
Courtesy of Tomás Saraceno – Photography by Jens Ziehe
He also said that his creation should act as a prism to view New York through, considering the amazing views of Central Park that can be seen from Cloud Cities. You can see his creation now on The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website, in the New York Times, or in the Huffington Post.
