SO – IL's 'murmuration' installation at the high museum of art evokes atlanta's tree canopies

SO – IL has installed a temporary pavilion on the renzo piano-designed piazza outside the high museum of art in atlanta, georgia. titled ‘murmuration’, the 2,350-square-foot (218 sqm) mesh canopy responds to atlanta’s reputation as the ‘city in a forest’ and reacts to its relationship with the natural world. the sculptural structure, which includes bird feeding stations and perches, also reflects upon the loss of billions of birds in recent decades. the mesh canopy invites visitors to exist alongside wildlife as part of the installation.

all images by fredrik bauer

visitors to the high museum of art are enveloped by a foliage-filled mesh canopy suspended from a steel framework, evocative of the tree canopies found throughout the region. SO – IL worked with atlanta-based engineers uzun + case to develop a constellation of metal frames suspended from six poles and wrapped in agricultural netting. the canopy, which appears as a bird murmuration, integrates bird feeders, seating perches, and other elements that encourage interaction, while spurring conversations around biodiversity, extinction, and co-habitation.

from an environmental perspective, the canopy provides shade, cleans the air, and helps reduce stormwater runoff. in addition to serving as an engaging outdoor space that can be occupied during the COVID-19 pandemic, the installation also increases awareness of the vital role that trees play with our urban environments. the work also directly advocates for conservation efforts toward birds, questioning their loss and the impact this has on the world around us. the installation has been designed so that it can be dismantled and and re-installed in future locations, creating its own migratory path.

1/4

 

 

 

 

project info:

name: murmuration
location: atlanta, GA, USA
client: high museum of art
program: public seating, outdoor interactive environment
completed: 2020
area: 218 sqm / 2,350 sqf

architect: SO – IL
design team: florian idenburg, ted baab, andrew gibbs, ray rui wu
structural engineer: uzun + case, atlanta, GA, USA
fabricator: factor eficiencia, mexico city, mexico
photography: fredrik bauer