Seattle, Washington, USA, 2011
Cloud Chamber is an unexpected, eccentric light pole in the streetscape of Seattle’s Northgate neighborhood. Cantilevering from a 30’-tall column, the sculpture acts as a beacon and gateway into Hubbard Homestead Park. Stainless steel tubes are curved to form a cloud shape. Rain is represented by straight tubes radiating out from the sculpture’s central spine, each terminating with a blue acrylic cylinder that is illuminated at night. Cloud Chamber is a play on an early 20th-century scientific device in which a sealed environment containing a supersaturated vapor of water reveals tracks of ions in spiraling forms.
Cloud Chamber was funded by the Seattle Department of Transportation. Metalwork was by Atomic Fabrications and custom LED fixtures were made by Winona.