Public Art Program Adds Kaleidoscopic Sculpture to USF

USF educates, nurtures and discovers rising artists. The Tampa academic institution consistently enables students to maximize on their creative potential by exposing them to a variety of voices and visions in the art world.

Part of the creative process involves surrounding yourself with pieces that both complement and challenge your aesthetic. The University’s Public Art Program recently announced the installation of a new permanent site-specific sculpture by renowned artist Tomás Saraceno.

Asterisms and spider webs influence installation 

The installation, titled Caelum Dust, will be on display in the Interdisciplinary Sciences Building designed by Yann Weymouth — design architect of The Dali Museum. Caelum Dust is comprised of three network modules that span the atrium to create a complex and dynamic dialogue within the architectural space.

Saraceno’s modules are inspired by nebulous structures, asterisms and the intricacies of spider webs. The installation casts kaleidoscopic reflections through iridescent dichroic panels that change color as the viewer moves through the space, notes Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture and the Arts.

Funded by FL’s Art in State Buildings Program

The art is funded by Florida’s Art in State Buildings program, which sets aside .5% of any new state construction funds for the acquisition of artwork for public areas in and around the facility. The Argentinian-born artist has his work included in collections at the Musem of Modern Art in New York and San Francisco; the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis; and Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.

Saraceno was chosen for the commission by a local art selection committee made up of members representing the academic programs housed in the Interdisciplinary Sciences facility, the building’s architect, the University’s facilities project manager, visual arts experts and the Art in State Buildings user agent.

The public art program includes over 120 commissioned, purchased, and donated works acquired through state contributions, and additional private funding partnerships and initiatives. Major projects have been completed by distinguished artists as Alice Aycock, Teresita Fernández, Nancy Holt, Tim Rollins and K.O.S., James Rosenquist, Alyson Shotz, Tomás Saraceno and Janaina Tschäpe.

*Photos via USF Public Art Program and Tomás Saraceno