Finding Clarity in Chaos

Benjamin Shine unveils new sky flow sculpture Quietude, installed in Tucson, Arizona. By Aarthi Mohan.

Benjamin Shine’s latest sky flow sculpture ‘Quietude’ sees his signature tulle medium-scaled up as a monument to mindfulness and self-reflection.

Silhouetted against the Sonoran- desert sky, the ethereal form depicts the details of a face, eyes closed in contemplation. Commissioned by Mind Body Green for their annual Revitalise wellness summit, the sculpture has been installed at the Ritz Carlton Resort in Tucson, Arizona.

Developed over several years, the idea of constructing a self-supporting sculpture made from net, proved 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. In addition, the net also needed to be manufactured to large size of 80ft x 20ft as a single piece. Despite numerous tests, no commercially available nets or mesh materials fulfilled the criteria. To overcome these challenges, Benjamin worked with a mesh manufacturer to design a net to his own specifications from recycled HDPE material. An engineered steel sub-structure was carefully designed to remain as invisible as possible while providing the necessary strength. Over several months, the 15ft sculpture was hand-shaped by Shine, through a process of compressing and folding the material into form.

Benjamin is a multidisciplinary artist most known for his pioneering work in tulle, which centers on ideas of energy, impermanence and the relationship between the spiritual and the superficial.