A Sculpture Shaped Like a Giant Balloon Squished by a Skyscraper

Anish Kapoor's 40-ton giant balloon-like sculpture and design is located at the base of the 56 Leonard Street Herzog & de Meuron skyscraper in New York. This sculpture is made from stainless steel material so that it can reflect the object in front of it, such as the nature of the mirror.

A giant balloon-shaped sculpture

The sculpture was placed under the cantilever of the apartment, whose side partly protruded towards the highway. A cantilever is a block-shaped building structure with an arrangement that looks prominent or hanging on one side, so this apartment building is called Jenga Tower. When viewed from several sides, this sculpture is like supporting the building.

The giant sculpture looks like it is supporting the building

Due to its enormous size, this artwork is reminiscent of proportions in the design. With its unique shape, this sculpture is easily recognized from all corners of the highway beside it and a long distance. This is because the relative size of an object or artwork is essential to creating visual appeal for the observer. The size of the sculpture and the building on it is inversely proportional to the human dimension, therefore this work seems magnificent.

Proportions between buildings, sculptures, and people

Its mirror-like surface reflects the shadows of passers-by and motorists on a crowded Manhattan street. According to developer Alexico Group, the sculpture is intended to be "fully integrated into the iconic tower structure," making it "an unprecedented collaboration between sculpture and architecture".

"The city can feel frenetic, fast, and hard, with imposing architecture, concrete, and noise. My work, at 56 Leonard Street, proposes a form made of stainless steel that is also soft and brief. Mirrors cause us to pause, to be absorbed and pulled in a way that disrupts time, slows it down perhaps; it's a material that creates a new kind of immaterial space" said Anish Kapoor.

Sculpture reflects the busy activities that occur on the highway and in the city

In addition to being seen from the outside, visitors can also enjoy Anish Kapoor's artworks from inside the building. The ground floor façade of this apartment is made using translucent glass material to maximize the view and appreciate art. In addition, the use of dark colors in the room's interior design responds to the surroundings and matches the artwork outside.

View from inside the ground floor building