Slipstream, Toronto

Inspired by the great length and depth of the Centre’s galleria, with its iconic glass vault, Slipstream suggests a connection to the sky and natural light above, by conveying a sense of flight and aerodynamics.

The sculpture is comprised of 70 prisms, each suspended delicately in tension along the axis of the galleria. Tensegrity wires hold the sculpture in place, their orientation echoing and extending the geometry of the prisms themselves. Each successive prism is rotated by one degree to create a single gesture of motion. The animation of Slipstream changes in response to the movement of the sun throughout the day and local meteorological factors, such as wind speed. At night, as light animates from within, a momentum is created as impulses of light shift and stream throughout.