Artwork copyright Ned Kahn. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Ned Kahn. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Ned Kahn. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Ned Kahn. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Abyssal Storm, 2001

Ned Kahn
(American, born 1960)

Location: University of Washington, Seattle

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Abyssal Storm is a sculpture created by artist Ned Kahn for the Ocean Sciences Building at the University of Washington. Viewers can tilt and rotate an oval vessel filled with a mixture of water and tiny glass spheres. This creates complex patterns and movements that suggest undersea currents and avalanches in the depths of the ocean. The artwork is like an experiment reminding us of the ocean which is constantly moving and flowing. Ocean estuaries are overturned by a small input of river water that drives a much larger circulation of denser ocean water inward, feeding and ventilating the living estuary.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with University of Washington.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Ned Kahn creates art installations that intersect with science. His artworks engage the viewer with the mysteries and chaos of nature. He uses patterns to create complex and continually changing systems. He is based in Sebastopol, California. Kahn received a Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental studies from the University of Connecticut in Storrs in 1982.