Low Ceiling
Leo Berk
4Culture
Cloudlike forms bring the weather to the boardroom.
4Culture’s own conference room features this site-specific sculptural chandelier by Leo Berk. Low Ceiling’s two cloudlike forms hang above the conference table—which was made by Lead Pencil Studio using a vintage Esso sign found in an Eastern Washington field—hovering like Seattle’s familiar cloud cover or a pair of thought bubbles. The artwork changes dramatically based on the many different perspectives around the table and its illumination is controlled by a dimmer, which can be used to create the feeling of an early morning drizzle or an afternoon rain squall.
Berk was selected for this commission via 4Culture’s online Artist Registry Volume V, which was a resource for public and private developers. The piece explores his interest in volume, transparency, and exposing the insides of things.I like the idea of clouds because they’re these things that you never get to see in three dimensions. You only ever see a flat plane. I often cut things up to reveal what’s inside and show how they work—so I started making this piece with intersecting planes. –Leo Berk
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Based in Seattle, Berk has received numerous public art commissions. His studio work has been shown in Northwest galleries and museums such as the Bellevue Arts Museum, Frye Art Museum, Henry Art Gallery, and Tacoma Art Museum, as well as in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oslo, and Philadelphia. Other 4Culture commissions include Bridge Manual, Claim Stakes, and Cloud Bank.
