PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A newly commissioned public art project by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust was created by internationally renowned artists who live in Pittsburgh.
“A Sudden Gust of Wind” is taking the artists to new heights. So, if you walk down Penn and Liberty Avenue, be sure to look up.
“When I first looked at them, I was like who the heck had all these kites up there?” Boston Waters said.
The massive outdoor art exhibit consists of 200 sculptured kites installed within the branches of over 80 tres throughout Pittsburgh’s Cultural District.
“It’s a work that strives to reinforce our shared humanity instead of dividing it. It rewards viewers with this brief moment of joy and playfulness,” said Anastasia James, director of galleries and public art for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
Artists Lenka Clayton and Phillip Andrew Lewis said they wanted to take their work to the people.
“One of the things we really loved is to meet our audience where they are in their everyday life,” Andrew Lewis said. “Rather than going to a specific venue with art viewing in mind, we come to people on the sidewalks, walking their dogs, taking a bus, going to work.”
A month-long labor of love went into the installation by a special crew who put thought behind each placement.
“All different colors,” installer Jacquet Kehm said. “We take a 35-foot genie lift. There’s two of us in the bucket, and one person helps place the kite so it looks like it naturally crashed into the branches. The other crimps them down and keeps them safe.”
The display will stay around for the rest of the year and change along with the trees throughout the four seasons.
“Trees have their own life,” Clayton said. “They change dramatically. … It won’t ever be the same way twice because nature has its own rhythm.”
Pittsburghers are enjoying what they see.
“It’s cool that they are metal in a tree because metal is typically heavy, and they’re in a tree. So, they’re weighing down the tree but still able to be up there,” Momo Almarza said.
