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Virga

Bennet Center Atrium

Oklahoma City

2020

Description

The inspiration for Virga comes from the dynamic forms of the land and sky of Oklahoma. The earth meeting the sky is a common site in Oklahoma, but one of the most interesting aspects of the landscape is the sky and its clouds that take such spectacular form over the land. The connection of clouds to precipitation and water is also a connection to the North Canadian or Oklahoma River in Oklahoma City. Virga connects the river on land to the water in the sky by conflating the images of the river and the clouds into the sculpture Virga. Virga are cumulus clouds with a tail of precipitation that evaporates before reaching the ground. The sculpture Virga connects the sky and the earth, implying the water of the Oklahoma River traveling on the land and the water vapor tail of the clouds in the sky are part of the same water cycle in the expansive landscapes of Oklahoma.

Information

Virga - Bennet Center Atrium - Projects - Cliff Garten Studio

Photo Credit Joseph Mills Photography

Location
Bennett Event Center, Oklahoma State Fair Grounds, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Date
2020

Medium
Aluminum 

Dimensions
2 Sculptures, each are 70’ long x 20’ wide x 6’ tall

Commissioned by
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, Oklahoma City

CGS
Cliff Garten, Founder/Director, Venice, CA
Matthew Gilio-Tenan, Designer/Project Manager, Venice, CA

Engineer
Patrell Engineering Group Inc., Glendora, CA

Photography 
Joseph Mills Photography