Client: Emory Healthcare

Overview

Creating an iconic emblem for Emory Healthcare, ZEPHYR (2017) expands and contracts throughout the new hospital facility, representing the noise pattern of a human breath.

Spanning 250 ft. of glass facade, the two-story, interior relief sculpture consists of 8,000 hollow, 2.5 in. diameter, stainless steel spheres suspended from 44,000 ft. of 1/16” stainless steel cable.

Goals

Zephyr presents an integrated approach to the fluid dynamics of the multi-level public spaces, creating poetic human meaning to our relationship between science, art and the technologies that support our individual and collective well-being. Creating a sense of calm and purpose, natural light filters through the reflections of the stainless steel spheres, where interactions between light and form respond to the transition of time and space.

Undulating shadow patterns cast across the interior architectures, extending the shifting visions of the piece, connecting a dynamic view of human data to the mission of the world class research institution and the daily contributions of Emory’s healthcare staff and faculty.

Process

Roney Studio worked carefully during the design phase to develop an artwork that would speak to the mission of Emory Healthcare, correlating the relationship between macro spatial perspective and micro molecular connectivity while representing a poetic human perception of our communal health and well-being through dedicated care.