In All Its Forms

While returning from my visit to Texas, I stopped at Phoenix Civic Space Park captivated by a unique interaction happening between an art sculpture and its surrounding space. “Her Secret is Patience” by Janet Echelman is a visualized computer model composed of twine netting and galvanized steel. It captures the process through which Arizona’s expansive cumulus clouds are formed by the whimsical movements of the wind. Witnessing this life-sized cloud suspended above the park’s center, soaring approximately 100 feet above ground level, evoked a strangely unsettling feeling within me. Initially it reminded me of a tornado I saw as a child but it also served as a poignant reminder of the exquisite yet destructive power inherent in nature’s ability to shape skies.