Wind Bridge (In Progress)

Project Description

California artist Ned Kahn is internationally known for artworks that reveal environmental forces like wind by converting natural flow patterns into the pixelated motion of thousands of small metal parts. Kahn calls these artworks “detectors” because they are analogous to the detectors on telescopes and other scientific devices that reveal the effects of the invisible. 

Kahn has proposed covering portions of a 750 ft. long pedestrian bridge with two sets of perforated aluminum panels. One set is hinged and the panels move with the wind, resulting in complex rippling patterns of light and shade created by sunlight penetrating in between the two layers of perforated metal. At night, patterns are revealed as silhouettes against illuminated surfaces inside the bridge.

The new station will provide access to Union Station and downtown Los Angeles for passengers of the Silver Line, a bus rapid transit service from El Monte, located 12 miles east of the city of Los Angeles to Harbor Gateway Transit Center (formerly Artesia) in the Southbay. The new pedestrian bridge will connect the station platform with Union Station and Patsaouras Transit Plaza.

Artist Statement

"For the last 25 years, I have created artworks that seek to increase awareness of natural phenomena. Using elements such as water, wind, fog and light, I have worked to create contemplative oases in urban environments, places where people can reconnect with the larger forces of nature. I am interested in creating artworks that blur the boundaries between art, science and architecture."

About the Artist

NED KAHN has completed over 40 large-scale public artworks throughout the world, and has been recognized with numerous grants and awards from such prestigious organizations as Americans for the Arts, The American Institute of Architects, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Science Foundation. In 2003 he received a fellowship from the MacArthur Foundation, commonly referred to as a “genius grant.” These unrestricted fellowships are awarded to “talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction.” His work has been examined by many national publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Landscape Architecture Magazine and Sculpture Magazine and he has lectured widely throughout the United States.