Solo show
Janet Echelman's 1.8 Renwick
from 1 Jul 2020 at Renwick Gallery
· Washington, D.C.
Janet Echelman's 1.8 Renwick is a site-specific installation created for the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. The work fills the building's iconic Grand Salon with a vast, flowing net sculpture that shifts and breathes in response to air currents and projected light.
Echelman is known for large-scale works that blur the boundaries between sculpture, architecture, and urban experience. For 1.8, she drew inspiration from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, whose seismic force was so powerful it shortened Earth's day by 1.8 microseconds — the source of the work's title.
Visitors are invited to walk beneath and interact with the piece, whose colors and forms change continuously throughout the day. The installation transforms the Renwick's historic interior into an immersive, meditative environment that invites reflection on the interconnectedness of natural forces and human experience.
Echelman is known for large-scale works that blur the boundaries between sculpture, architecture, and urban experience. For 1.8, she drew inspiration from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, whose seismic force was so powerful it shortened Earth's day by 1.8 microseconds — the source of the work's title.
Visitors are invited to walk beneath and interact with the piece, whose colors and forms change continuously throughout the day. The installation transforms the Renwick's historic interior into an immersive, meditative environment that invites reflection on the interconnectedness of natural forces and human experience.
About the artist
Janet Echelman
1966
Janet Echelman is an American fiber artist and author who creates large-scale, aerial sculptures that blend art, architecture, and engineering. Her works are often installed in public spaces and are created using lightweight, flexible materials like fiber, netting, and rope. These sculptures…
About the artist →About the venue
Renwick Gallery
· Washington, D.C.
The Renwick Gallery is a branch of the Smithsonian American Art Museum located in Washington, D.C. that displays American craft and decorative arts from the 19th to 21st century. The gallery is housed in a National Historic Landmark building that was opened in 1859 on Pennsylvania Avenue and…