





Client: Intuitive Surgical
Location: Sunnyvale, CA, United States
Completion date: 2021
Project Team
Artist
Jason Kelly Johnson & Nataly Gattegno
Futureforms
Structural Engineer
Nick Sherrow-Groves
Arup
Art Consultant
Mary Hannah
Kay + Hannah Art Advisory

Overview
Cosmos is a dynamic shade canopy that fosters pedestrian interactions between campus buildings. Cosmos creates an open, shaded and inviting space for people to fluidly move through on a daily basis or occasionally gather beneath. It also creates a dramatic backdrop for visitors and employees to congregate, sit and view the play of shadow and light from many vantage points. The faceted origami-like surfaces of the artwork are also meant to inspire spontaneous interactions and playfulness by both adults and children who might enjoy spending time underneath the artwork’s intricate organic structure and kaleidoscopic skin.
Goals
The geometry of the artwork is an exploration in translating mathematical principles into physical form. The Fibonacci Sequence informs the specific algorithm underlying the three-dimensional structure and skin of the artwork. While the form of the artwork would be fixed, the play of light, reflection and color would change throughout the day and season. The site specific installation invites visitors to experience the interplay of pattern, light, art and science in a way that is both playful and contemplative.