Cirque, CIRQUE

Judy Pfaff's celebratory sculpture Cirque, CIRQUE hangs suspended across the vast arched expanse of the Grand Hall.  Commissioned by the Pennsylvania Convention Center, it is the largest indoor public art installation in the United States.

The central "infinity" shape, torqued like a Mobius strip, contains a crisscrossed pattern that you can also see on the ceiling's trusses.  The sculpture's track lines allude to the Hall's original use as the Reading Railroad train shed.  Nearby, you can find seven linked clusters of hand-blown glass globes, representing the constellations: Draco, Orion, Pisces, Cassiopeia, the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, and the Southern Cross.  These glass constellations are a homage to the celestial imagery on the ceiling of Grand Central Station’s main waiting room.  In addition, monumental orbs of concentric tubular steel balance atop twin elevator towers, suggesting the sun and the moon.

The undulate rhythms of Cirque, CIRQUE serve as a foil for the elegant and staid geometry of the original shed.  Two overlapping circus-like rings sashay through the air, glinting blue and purple when the iridescent paint catches the light.  If you shift your gaze, you can locate lasso-like chartreuse loops attached to a section that resembles the hub, spokes, and hinges of a colossal umbrella.  Altogether, the work's colorful assembly of jaunty hoops and serpentine spirals reflects both the high spirits of the big top and the festive energy of many of the functions held here at the Convention Center.

For additional pictures showing this interesting artwork’s fabrication and installation, please visit the artist’s website at: https://www.judypfaffstudio.com/#/cirque-cirque-1993/

Commissioned by the Pennsylvania Convention Center