Client: MCAD, City of El Paso

Overview

Weatherscape is a sculptural canopy that channels dynamic weather conditions triggering optical, material and sound effects in multiple ways. While the overall canopy form provides dappled shade and cooling, unique areas are dedicated to wind, water, and sun. These five circular areas bristle with kinetic energy, mist, variable patterns of light and color, and unpredictable atmospheric behaviors. Commissioned in 2019, the project was completed in 2023 and is visible to members of the public from Main Street, El Paso. Visitors to La Nube STEAM Center can interact with the piece on the second-floor terrace.

Goals

Ahead of the opening of the new La Nube children’s museum in El Paso, FUTUREFORMS was commissioned to design Weatherscape with the goal of creating a dynamic and multifaceted piece for museum visitors, and passerby in the city’s Arts District, to experience. The founders of FUTUREFORMS, an award-winning art and design studio, have collaborated on a range of projects exploring the intersections of art and design with public space for over 20 years. FUTUREFORMS' commitment to public art stems from an interest in activating the urban realm. Their artwork is experiential, playful, integrated and engaged with its context, but also strives to present itself as an identifiable element in the built landscape. To do this they rely on rich, diverse and multifaceted concepts that can resonate with diverse audiences, different ages and uses. The perspective infused through their art’s style complements the vision for a space that is at once comfortable and bursting with energy.

Process

La Nube (Spanish for “the cloud”) is a new STEAM Discovery Center which opened in the heart of El Paso’s growing Arts District in Summer 2024. At the discovery center, visitors of all ages are welcome to explore a range of interactive experiences in the realm of science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM). Commissioned in 2019 by the El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department, Weatherscape was created by San Francisco-based art and design studio FUTUREFORMS. The sculptural piece is located on the terrace of La Nube, creating a shaded space on the terrace for visitors. Visible from the gardens below and the street, Weatherscape is experienced from a distance, up close and beneath it.