Foggy wake in a desert: An ecosphere

Foggy wake in a desert: An ecosphere 1982 Object Type: sculptures Medium: water vapour Credit Line: Purchased 1977 Copyright: © Fujiko Nakaya Since 1982, when it was installed in the National Gallery of Australia's Sculpture Garden, Foggy wake in a desert: An ecosphere has thrilled and surprised many visitors. Fondly known as 'the fog sculpture,' Fujiko Nakaya's work is a welcome encounter on a hot day—from 12.30 to 2pm daily, 900 nozzles and a pump create a fine mist of water, which wafts across the pond and circulates through the surrounding vegetation, and creates a self-sustaining ecosphere in Canberra's harsh conditions. The Sculpture Garden site was specially designed to the artist's specifications. The humidity of the fog reactivates the natural environment, thickening the foliage and cultivating new species. Nakaya has created fog sculptures around the world since 1970. Her environmental works invite audiences to interact with them: she believes beauty exists within the relationship between nature and people. Her fog sculptures developed from a 1970 art and science project, Record of changes: Origins of the desert. Conducted in collaboration with the Kyoto University, this project aimed to observe the impact of inserting a one square-kilometre fog in desert condition, recording the climatic and ecological changes over a period of ten years. In Sydney, installed as part of the 1976 Sydney Biennale, the fog sculpture was titled Earth talk or Foggy sculpture #94768, the number being the code for the nearest weather station. When relocated the National Gallery's Sculpture Garden the work received the number #94925. Chiei Ishida and Lucina Ward Text © National Gallery of Australia, Canberra Extended label: Foggy wake in a desert challenges ideas of what sculpture can be. At 12.30 to 2pm each day, a fine mist is activated through the trees and to the pond, moving and changing according to the breeze, or whether people are passing through. Fujiko Nakaya researches and prepares the site for each fog sculpture—wind, temperature and climate—and the title of the work acknowledges its effect on the surroundings. The 'desert' of the title refers to the Sculpture Garden's early days, before the trees had grown and when it was a much starker environment.