Yayoi Kusama, an artist known for her infinity mirrored rooms, designed a room of mirrored sculptures titled “Clouds” (2019) at Summit One Vanderbilt. The floor-based constellation is one of many interactive experiences at New York’s newest observation deck. This is one of the rooms visitors will navigate through before reaching the exterior observation deck and ascending glass elevator. Having visited three times before it officially opened to the public on October 21, 2021, I noticed that this room was one of the least visited and least photographed. Visitors may not realize that it was designed by famous artist Yayoi Kusama. Unlike the other summit rooms, the Cloud also requires visitors to move and purposefully descend to see new views and room angles.
Kusama’s sculptural installation, consisting of almost a hundred different mirrored, stainless steel forms, invites visitors to see unique perspectives by changing their own position or place in space. Unlike her infinite mirror rooms, Kusama’s Clouds draw your gaze off the walls and down to the reflections of these light and airy metal cloud sculptures. Available in two divided sections of different shapes and sizes, they allow walking alongside, behind or between the two sections of sculptures, designed to envelop viewers in a sense of infinity.
Kusama’s sculptural installation, consisting of almost a hundred different mirrored, stainless steel forms, invites visitors to see unique perspectives by changing their own position or place in space. Unlike her infinite mirror rooms, Kusama’s Clouds draw your gaze off the walls and down to the reflections of these light and airy metal cloud sculptures. Available in two divided sections of different shapes and sizes, they allow walking alongside, behind or between the two sections of sculptures, designed to envelop viewers in a sense of infinity.
My favorite angle for the photos here requires the photographer to get low as the cloud-like shapes merge close to the lens and the subject in front of the window. I’ve also edited this quick TikTok video to include a before and after comparison of the photographer showing the difference in perspective, from a direct view to a lower angle, and how the sculpture changes as a result. What do you think about Clouds?