RESERVOIR (Ascesa) | John Grade Studio

Suspended above a clearing in a grove of pine trees, Reservoir is made up of five thousand individually heat-formed, clear droplets framed in steam-bent wood. The delicate droplets are attached to a pair of clear filament nets that are supported by tree trunks above. As rainwater or snow accumulates in the droplets, the position and shape of the nets lower and change. As collected water evaporates, the sculpture rises back to its original configuration. Sheathed springs below pulleys limit vertical range of motion so the sculpture remains at least ten feet above the ground. Even a very light rain creates enough downward movement to be comprehended visually by viewers below. When dry, the sculpture weighs 70 pounds. When filled by a heavy rainfall, the sculpture can exceed 800 pounds.

Periodically the sculpture will be manually manipulated to rise and fall to engage with the movements initiated by dancers. The varied topography surrounding the site of the sculpture offers viewers both a vantage directly below the cloud-like mass as well as a view looking across the mid-line of the sculpture slightly above its changing center of mass.

Reservoir (Ascesa), Arte Sella Sculpture Park, Malga Costa, Borgo Valsugana, Trento, Italy. 2018. Vacuum-formed plastic, wood, netting, cables, springs. Dimensions variable: Upper net 8’ 6”H x 18’ 6” x 17’ (mounted 42’ above the ground), lower net 8’H x 28’ 6” x 24’ 6”.