C l o u d s c a p e
public play sculpture
Come on an adventure.
Step out of your everyday world and into a new reality.
Welcome to Cloudscape!
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Cloudscape public play sculpture
Cloudscape is a public play sculpture/space inviting exploration and connection.
Within the geometry of a logarithmic spiral, and spheres offering both containment and views of the sky, Cloudscape is a sacred space to promote and inspire connection and freedom.
Cloudscape is a vision of hope. We are living in a time of increasing polarity, where disconnection and division threatens the future of the earth and humanity. Cloudscape offers a way for us to come together and heal through opening up to fresh perspectives in a spirit of curiosity, acceptance and play.
Clouds represent the heavenly, divine, ethereal dimension of nature, and the connection of all of us to the natural world that surrounds us. Clouds also represent our global connection through technology.
Cloudscape offers a new approach to sacred connection in secular space, inviting people of all abilities and beliefs to connect with themselves, with others and with the world.
The piece is shown at the location of Watsons Bay, Sydney. This location is accessible by ferry and, as both the entry point to Sydney harbour and adjacent to ‘The Gap’, is a space where the healing from the past is pertinent. With pieces in locations all over the world, a new form of global connection would be made possible.
Description of sculpture:
A ramp winds up to a geodesic dome, forming an open but defined space. Contained in the space and adjacent to the dome, nine hollow concrete spheres, ranging in diameter from 1.2 to 2.7 metres, invite exploration and play.
The spheres contain holes which allow entry to the spaces and framed views of the sky. The geodesic dome (5/8 5v) spans over a 6.3 metre wide round platform, forming an inviting and inspirational space with opportunities for climbing and different viewpoints. The sides of the ramp offer play opportunities and include steps, ramps, seating, and a slide.
The logarithmic spiral of the floor plan can be expanded with the potential to create a larger space.
Overall dimensions of the piece are: 29m wide, 18m deep, 5.2m high.
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Why Cloudscape?
Cloudscape is an all ages play sculpture that invites exploration and connection.
The big picture vision is to have Cloudscapes all over the world, opening up a global experience of connection with a spirit of play.
From the macro to the micro, Cloudscape is about connection and fresh perspectives. Cloudscape provides new ways to connect with others and see the world. And through shifting our perspective, new possibilities open up.
Description of sculpture
A ramp winds up to a geodesic dome adjacent to seven concrete spheres.
The concrete spheres range in size from 1.2m to 2.7m, and contain holes for climbing through and for providing framed views of the sky and surroundings.
The geodesic dome ( 5/8 5v) spans over a 6.3m wide round platform and offers climbing opportunities as well as access into the spheres.
Steps, seating, platforms and a slide are built into the sides of the ramp.
With a spiral floorplan, the piece creates a contained public space that is mysterious and inviting. There is potential for the spiral to be increased to allow for larger spaces or groups of people.
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More about Cloudscape
Current Proposal
The first Cloudscape piece will be a prototype .. an adventure into the unknown.
I am open to all offers of support and suggestions for locations this could go. I am happy to do whatever consultation and permit process is required. This is going to be most critical with the first piece where a number of details need to be clarified such as the legal/safety requirements for climbing over the geodesic dome.
Location ideas
Given that this piece is about seeing fresh perspectives in a spirit of play, I have (idealistically?) imagined Cloudscapes in ‘hot spots’ like the boundary between Israel and Palestine, or between two separate countries. Given that the piece is about ‘connection’, breaking down arbitrary boundaries of countries offers a fresh perspective on the concept that ‘we are all one’.
In Australia, I envision this piece at Watsons Bay in Sydney. Located near the ferry wharf it is easily accessible by ferry to all people. The location at Watsons Bay marks the entry point into Sydney harbour and the ‘invasion’ of the first people. It faces ‘The Gap’, a cliff famous as the place where many desperate and ‘dis-connected’ people have ended their lives.
In this location, Cloudscape offers an opportunity for healing, for connection and for a new way of being in the world.
Description of construction & materials
Suggested construction methods / materials:
– rammed earth ramp
– ferrocement spheres
– geodesic dome: hardwood struts with steel connectors
Dimensions
height : 5.2 metres
width : 29 metres (including ramp)
depth : 18 metres (including ramp)
Cloudscape scale model
The 1:20 scale model sits on a 1.7 x 1.2m base.
A smaller scale model can be created using 3D printing technology.
Estimated cost of construction
$300,000 – 3,000,000
There are so many variables in pricing – materials, labour, regulations.
When could it happen by?
January 2022 ..
Opportunities for Community Connection
Cloudscape offers a place for the community to come together.
Cloudscape offers a solution to isolation and disconnection.
Cloudscape brings together people of all ages and abilities, with opportunities to connect that would otherwise not happen. a focal point for the local community.
Opportunities for Community Construction
The construction of Cloudscape has the potential to bring the community together and to offer valuable skill sharing, mentoring and place making for members of the community, both young and old.
An apprentice-type arrangement between experienced tradesmen / craftsmen and youth would allow for a sharing of skills and sense of meaning, connection and bonding between community members.
Why Cloudscape?
Most playgrounds cater for young children only. But play is important for us no matter what our age is. We need more opportunities for play in public spaces for ALL ages.
Play allows us to open up to fresh perspectives, to drop our defences, to see things differently, to explore and to connect in fresh new ways. Play expands our experience of life and opens up space for miracles – after all ‘a miracle is a shift in perspective’.
Connection, be that to our own bodies, our environment, other people, or spirit, is essential to quality human life.
The sacred geometry of Cloudscape (in the spiral floor plan, spheres and geodesic dome), and the invitation to experience the world in new ways offers a non-religious spiritual connection. In this way, these spaces offer a needed respite from the mundane world.
LATEST UPDATE
07 September, 2021
I’ve been extra focused recently attempting to work out the meaning, purpose and direction of my life. I’ve come such a long way over the past few years in terms of healing and dismantling old beliefs and patterns that had me feeling stuck, helpless and hopeless, and this sculpture piece has been an integral part of that journey in terms of inspiring me toward expanding my skills, capacity and opportunities for connection. Connection is a driving theme of this piece. One aspect of that is spiritual connection, and the notion of ‘sacred space’, where freedom and connection co-exist and where spirit is taken into account, is also integral.
On September 1 I submitted an entry to the AA Unbuilt Prize. Preparing this entry gave me the push to focus on and complete drawings for the piece, bringing clarity and a greater sense of possibility to this vision. The new drawings are now shown on this page.
I am bringing the drawings and ideas together in a short video which I will publish here as soon as it is done .. hopefully in the next week.
Working towards this vision on my own has almost broken me many times, and I keep having to put it aside in order to focus on ‘making a living’, and right now I am exploring how I can take the ideas around connection, exploration and sacred space to create other offerings that bring value and meaning. And of course, I’m very open to any ideas, offers or opportunities to help bring this piece to reality.
