benjamin shine defies gravity with his latest ethereal sky flow sculpture 'quietude'

benjamin shine completes his latest sky flow sculpture ‘quietude.’ the work is characterized by his signature tulle materiality monumentally scaled to express mindfulness and self-reflection. silhouetted against the sweeping sky of the sonoran desert, the ethereal form depicts the details of a face, eyes closed in contemplation. the work was commissioned by lifestyle media brand mindbodygreen for their annual ‘revitalise’ wellness summit, and has been installed at the ritz carlton resort in tucson, arizona.

all images courtesy of benjamin shine

benjamin shine‘s technique of sculpting with a textile medium had developed over several years. the concept of constructing a self-supporting sculpture made from net had been proven to be inherently challenging. aside from the net requiring greater strength to hold its own form, it also needed to provide the same tonal variety as tulle when folded to achieve the details of the face. the net further must be manufactured at a large size of 80 feet by 20 feet as a single piece. despite numerous tests, no commercially available nets or mesh materials fulfilled this criteria.

to overcome these pragmatic challenges, benjamin shine worked with a mesh manufacturer to design a net which would fulfill his own requirements. this material was fabricated out of recycled high density polyethylene material — a rigid, tough plastic which serves to mimic the delicate, ghostly qualities of tulle. as a solution to the inherent structural challenges, the artist developed an engineered steel sub-structure which had been carefully designed to remain as invisible as possible while providing the necessary strength. over the course of several months, the monumental fifteen foot sculpture was hand-shaped by the artist through a process of folding and compressing the pliable net material to generate the ethereal form.

project info:

project title: quietude

artist: benjamin shine

location: ritz carlton resort, tucson, arizona

client: mindbodygreen