KANSAS CITY, Kan.–CommunityAmerica Credit Union is sponsoring the installment of a shape-shifting sculpture at Union Station here that is set to become part of the city’s skyline this summer.
The silvery sculpture, "Reflecting Motion," is a canopy of 78,000 iridescent streamers woven by 13,400 feet of rope and covering an area the size of two basketball courts.
It will undulate in the breeze from 18 feet to 72 feet above the Haverty Family Yards on the north side of Union Station and be visible from I-35, the streetcar and the Crossroads Art District.
Cost of the sponsorship was not revealed, but one report says it’s in the “low six figures.”
‘Jaw Dropping’
The sculpture was described in local media as a shape-shifting display that was called “jaw-dropping” by Tony Jones, the president of the Kansas City Art Institute. "When you see this sculpture fly, you’ll believe in magic," Jones was quoted as saying.
George Guastello, president and CEO of Union Station, said the goal is to symbolize his institution’s connection to downtown and the Crossroads arts community.
"It moves in the air and is a giant sky sculpture on the forefront of the Kansas City skyline and in the center of the creative Crossroads," he said.
Union Station commissioned the work from artist Patrick Shearn, whose "Skynet Series" has been featured in Los Angeles, as well as in Berlin, Lisbon, Portugal, and Melbourne, Australia, and at the Coachella, Burning Man and Electric Daisy Carnival festivals.
Labor Day Debut
"Reflecting Motion" is scheduled to take flight at a special opening event May 11 and remain aloft through Labor Day Weekend.
"We are excited about Mr. Patrick Shearn's work because it will add to the uniqueness and beauty of our city," Lisa Ginter, CommunityAmerica CEO, said in a statement.