Cloud Rings (2006)

Ned Kahn
Site Specific installation for 21C Museum

A series of devices set into a sunken courtyard that continuously shoot rings of fog up into the space between two buildings. The billowing rings are seen from the street as well as from the windows of the surrounding buildings. This exhibit produces rings of mist (similar to smoke rings) a few times every minute. The torus shaped smoke ring travels straight up. The exhibit uses an ultrasonic humidifier to generate the mist, which collects under the domed top and is ejected out when the exhibit pulses. A gear-motor rotates a cam, which pushes a diaphragm against spings to store energy for the pulse.

Artist Statement

The confluence of science and art has fascinated me throughout my career. For the last fifteen years, I have developed a body of work inspired by atmospheric physics, geology, astronomy and fluid motion. I strive to create artworks that enable viewers to observe and interact with natural processes. I am less interested in creating an alternative reality than I am in capturing, through my art, the mysteriousness of the world around us.

My artworks frequently incorporate flowing water, fog, sand and light to create complex and continually changing systems. Many of these works can be seen as "observatories" in that they frame and enhance our perception of natural phenomena. I am intrigued with the way patterns can emerge when things flow. These patterns are not static objects, they are patterns of behavior - recurring themes in nature.

Cloud Rings
Ned Kahn
Public Sculpture
› exhibition details