Sky Portal

2014

Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum. Albuquerque, NM

72’ diameter x 25’ high

Concrete, mirror-polished stainless steel, stone, customized utility poles, landscaping, acrylic fiber

Commissioned by New Mexico Arts/City of Albuquerque

Description:

Sky Portal is a permanent installation situated near the launch site of the largest annual hot air balloon in the world. Inspired by the surrounding sky, landscape, and sunlight, the sculpture takes its shape from forms found throughout the history of lighter-than-air flight. Twenty four customized utility poles suspend a mirror-polished stainless steel cylinder above a circular seating area accessed by concrete paths. Designed to be experienced from both the ground and the sky, the sculpture creates an intimate gathering place from which to contemplate an endless sky by framing the hundreds of hot air balloons that ascend and pass above. At altitude, the sculpture reads as a compass rose to orient balloon pilots.