Project overview: Echelman’s monumental aerial sculpture was suspended over Boston’s Rose Kennedy Greenway, spanning the void where an elevated highway once split downtown from its waterfront and knitting together the urban fabric. Made from an interconnected fiber mesh of more than a half-million nodes of soft twine, it fluidly responds to ever-changing wind and weather. Monumental in scale and strength yet delicate as lace, its fibers are 15 times stronger than steel yet incredibly lightweight, making the sculpture able to lace directly into three skyscrapers as a soft counterpoint to hard-edged architecture. It is a physical manifestation of interconnectedness and strength through resiliency.
Project type: Art Installation
Project location: Boston, Massachusetts
Firm name: Studio Echelman
Completion: 2015
Jury comments: Described by children as “a rainbow tangled up,” “the invisible wind made visible,” and “a whisper,” the beautiful structure, As If It Were Already Here, is an experience engraved in our collective memories. Its temporary existence taught us about the city’s history, redefined public space, allowed us to dream and reminded us how beauty is a gift of hope and inspiration.
Embracing New England’s craftsmanship traditions in its design, this is a complex and highly engineered structure exhibiting a kaleidoscope of colors reminiscent of a child’s blown soap bubbles. Though the structure was specifically designed for this location, its realization is indicative of what is possible in neighborhoods throughout the city. The piece evokes memory, history, future possibilities, and conversation about how parts of a city can be sewn back together, better than before. By recognizing this work as significantly beautiful, we hope to elevate our collective recognition of beauty’s civic value.
Client: The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy
Consultants: Arup; Autodesk; Shawmut Design & Construction
Images/Photographer(s): Bruce Petschek; Melissa Henry
