Client: City of Chicago
Location: Chicago, IL, United States
Completion date: 2018
Artwork budget: $800,000
Project Team
Artist
Rob Ley
Rob Ley Studio
Public Art Agent
Kim Carpenter
Overview
Medium: Painted Aluminum
Size: 294’ W x 25’ H x 2.5’ D
Location: O’Hare Airport, Chicago, IL.
This piece is constructed from over 4,000 pieces of formed aluminium, sculpted to evoke the flow of a steady breeze in a field. This large sculpture spans 294 feet and is situated in the newly expanded O’Hare Airport Transit Hub.
Goals
This artwork was designed to represents a static interpretation of wind and its intrinsic connection to flight, energy and motion.
Process
For the conception of this piece, I worked directly with Carlson Arts LLC and Hanmar Metals, a nationally recognized aeronautical fabrication company, along with management at Austin Powers Partners, the City of Chicago, and O’Hare Airport Authority. The collaboration inspired the artworks embodiment of movement, which reflects the dynamics of oscillation between a range of stable and turbulent wind conditions. The fast timeline of this piece created the opportunity to explore a dynamic artwork that was conceived, developed, fabricated, and installed within a 5 month period of time.