2016-2017
freshwater pearl, filament, aluminum
44”Dx128”Wx118”H
Spirit Cloud is a meditation on impermanence, myth, and transformation. Composed of over 33,000 freshwater pearls suspended by thousands of transparent filaments, the work floats in space like a luminous breath, capturing a fleeting moment as though pressing pause on a dissolving sky. I see it as both a sculpture and a spatial poem—an atmosphere rather than an object.
The inspiration behind this work is rooted in Chinese cosmology and folklore, where clouds are more than weather—they are symbols of good fortune, vehicles for immortals, and bridges between heaven and earth. In Spirit Cloud, I wanted to evoke that sense of otherworldliness and suspended time. The curving form draws from traditional Chinese garden stones and auspicious cloud motifs, inviting viewers to move around it, to experience shifting light, shadow, and reflection. The pearls mimic water droplets suspended in air, echoing the structure of actual clouds and their constant state of transformation.
Pearls, to me, are small containers of time—formed layer by layer, they hold a quiet history. By arranging them in this cloud-like formation, I explore the tension between permanence and ephemerality, materiality and illusion. The result is a form that feels solid, yet dissolves the moment you try to grasp it.
This work is also an invitation to slow down. Like cloud-watching, the act of viewing Spirit Cloud encourages a contemplative gaze, one that reveals shifting perspectives and ephemeral beauty. In a world that moves so fast, I want to offer a suspended moment—a stillness—that allows for wonder, for dreaming, for a brief pause in time.
Photo credit: Toni Hafkenscheid