Cleveland Sun

Abstract

Recently, a strange phenomenon infiltrated the city of Cleveland.  Initially, it was dismissed as a random occurrence, but soon it became evident that this was no accidental observation.  A viral growth of light reflectors permeated the city’s fabric.  These reflectors showed up at what appeared to be chance locations.  But as the numbers multiplied, it became evident that a delicate crystalline structure spread like a root system throughout the urban fabric.  As if rising out of a primeval tar pit, paths of light began to emerge.  Following the light from one reflector to another, they directed their energy to one central point near where the train tracks pass by The Lakeview Cemetery.

On September 1, 2007, a select group of people received a strange envelope labeled Cleveland Sun.  Contained inside the package was a small reflector.  Printed on the reflector were an explanation, invitation, and instruction - Please hang outside.

On September 7, 2007, the mystery was revealed with the opening of the exhibit, Cleveland Sun by The New Weather Group at the Sculpture Center.. 

Context

Prelude: A Citywide Invitation

On September 1, 2007, a select group of Cleveland residents received an enigmatic envelope labeled Cleveland Sun. Inside was a small reflective disc—part object, part message—accompanied by a brief instruction: Please hang outside.

The A week later, on September 7, the mystery unfolded with the opening of Cleveland Sun at The Sculpture Center. The exhibition revealed itself not as a static installation, but as the culmination of a citywide experiment—a collective artwork that literally gathered the light of Cleveland and focused it into a single space.

The idea behind Cleveland Sun was to create an installation that both conceptually and physically channeled the energy of an entire city. Using light as the medium, the project transformed Cleveland into a dispersed optical network—a living system of mirrors reflecting sunlight toward one central point. The Sculpture Center became the eye of the hurricane, the place where all that light and attention converged. Through the building’s skylight, this gathered light poured into the gallery, turning it into a massive, dynamic collector of urban illumination.

Methodology: Light as Collective Energy

 1. Reflectors

One Thousand and One Reflectors were installed throughout Cleveland—on houses, lampposts, fences, and windows—each one a micro-participant in the collective act of reflection. Some remained fixed; others traveled, changing hands and locations as the project evolved.

 2. Site

The Sculpture Center served as the host and focal point for the light funnel, transforming the gallery into a chamber of convergence.

 3. Participation

Invitations printed on mirrored surfaces acted as both announcement and art object, encouraging recipients to become collaborators by displaying them publicly.

 4. Receiver

Inside the gallery, the space was filled with the evidence of this dispersed network: reflections, site photographs, process drawings, and renderings that mapped the city’s participation in the project.

Findings / Reflection: A Civic Work of Art

Cleveland Sun centered on the sun as both a literal and metaphorical source of life. It spoke to the dual scales of our ecological condition—linking the global consequences of climate change to the deeply local realities of weather, agriculture, and daily life in the American Midwest.

The project stood as both a poetic visualization of energy and a civic act of participation—a reminder that even the most personal encounters with light, warmth, and weather are part of a larger ecological system that binds communities together.

Credits

Architecture Filed Lab: Research & Exhibition Program

Collaborators: Martin Stigsgaard is the founder of The New Weather Group, co-founded with Rahul Saggar, Masayuki Sono, and Thomas Damgaard. The collective operates on a model of shared authorship—each member contributing equally to the conception and realization of all NWG projects.

Location: Cleveland Sculpture Center, Cleveland Ohio 

Year: 2004–2015 (research, experimentation and exhibitions) 

Contact: info@studiostigsgaard.com