Flowers are blooming early at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Eighteen mechanical ones, actually, dangling from the atrium of Windhover Hall.
The site-specific installation is called Meadow – designed by Amsterdam-based art studio Drift – and it opened last week free to publc. Resembling flower blossoms, the works consist of robotic components that operate colorful fabric shades with light bulbs in the center. The flowers open and close in ever-changing sequences, mimicking the complex cycles of nature.
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“Drift has long worked at the intersection of nature and technology, and I’m excited to present to our visitors their work within the context of the Quadracci Pavilion, a biophilic space designed by architect Santiago Calatrava,” said the exhibition’s curator Shoshana Resnikoff in a press release.
Although Drift originally created Meadow in 2017, the studio adapted the installation to match the space. This meant delicately tweaking the number of flowers, their colors, and how high they hang. Drift co-founder Lonneke Gordijn said in a video call that keeping in mind the organic, symmetrical design of the atrium was important. Staggering the heights of each flower makes looking up at the tall ceiling more inviting, and making one flowers as low as possible brings the installation closer to viewers.
Co-founder Ralph Nauta worked with a team over several weeks to install Meadow using a special lift. While the space was closed off during the time, the process was open to public viewing – atypical for the museum. When installing, Drift and MAM made on-the-spot adjustments to colors and programming.
The collective “blooming” motions of the flowers is smooth and organic, owing to being controlled by Drift and MAM. The different speeds and patterns help the installation avoid looking mechanical or entering the dreaded uncanny valley. “They (Drift) don’t want you to see a loop,” Resnikoff said.
Viewers are encouraged to stare at the blooms for as long as they like. Resnikoff said some have taken to lying down on the floor. “(It’s) completed when people are present.”
The installation is the second in MAM’s “Winter Series,” following last year’s Iceberg by Larry Bell. The series is meant to bring “vibrant, intriguing works” that evoke warmth and joy during Milwaukee’s most frigid months.
“The first Winter Series presentation was a remarkable success, and I’m delighted to continue the series with an installation that transforms this iconic space into a garden-like setting for everyone who enters the Museum,” said Elizabeth Siegel, chief of curatorial affairs at MAM.
Winter Series: Meadows runs through April 13.
