Janet Echelman

Aerial sculptures by Janet Echelman.

Janet Echelman sculpts at the scale of buildings and city blocks. Echelman’s work defies categorization, as it intersects Sculpture, Architecture, Urban Design, Material Science, Structural & Aeronautical Engineering, and Computer Science.

Janet Echelman, a visionary artist who defies categorization, reshapes urban airspace with her awe-inspiring aerial sculptures. These monumental works intersect sculpture, architecture, urban design, material science, structural and aeronautical engineering, and computer science ¹. Let’s delve into the captivating world of Janet Echelman’s aerial sculptures:

Skies Painted with Unnumbered Sparks:
- In 2014, Echelman installed her largest and most interactive sculpture to date: “Skies Painted with Unnumbered Sparks” in Vancouver, Canada. This monumental aerial sculpture spanned an impressive 745 feet, connecting the 24-story Fairmont Waterfront and the Vancouver Convention Center.
- The sculpture, made entirely of soft fibers, delicately blended with the clouds and sky during the day. Its form, subtle yet monumental, challenged the boundaries of scale and complexity.
- At night, the magic unfolded. Visitors could choreograph the lighting in real time using physical gestures on their mobile devices. Vivid beams of light projected across the massive scale, responding to small movements on spectators’ phones.
- Echelman collaborated with artist Aaron Koblin, Creative Director of Google’s Data Arts Team, to create this interactive masterpiece.

Curiosity defines Janet Echelman’s nonlinear educational path. A recipient of an honorary Doctorate from Tufts University, Echelman has taught at MIT, Harvard and Princeton Universities.