astra: an indoor cloud floats in kansas
Vancouver-based artist David Spriggs completes his latest public artwork, Astra, within the atrium of the State Docking Building in Kansas. Suspended high above the public floor, the work takes shape as a spatial installation to be experienced from below, around, and through movement.
From a distance, Astra reads as a loose atmospheric mass gathered beneath the ceiling plane. As viewers approach, its structure becomes legible through a sequence of layered acrylic sheets, each UV printed and suspended in alignment. The installation floats within the space lightly and forms a volume defined by depth and spacing rather than solid mass. Sightlines through the atrium shift continuously as the layers compress and separate in perspective.
images courtesy the artist
david spriggs’ shifting artwork to be viewed gradually
David Spriggs constructs Astra through stacked transparent planes that carry fragments of image and color. Individually, each sheet appears partial and insubstantial. Together, they generate a volumetric presence that feels architectural in scale yet dependent on position and movement. The acrylic surfaces catch ambient light from the atrium while integrated LED lighting sharpens edges and intensifies chromatic transitions.
Mirrored stainless steel panels installed above extend the visual field vertically, multiplying the perceived height of the installation and folding the atrium back into itself. This reflection doubles the depth of the work and reinforces its suspension between ceiling and floor. Steel beams and hanging hardware remain precise and restrained, as the layered field reads as a continuous — yet ephemeral — whole.
The artist creates this work to reward slow circulation. Viewed from one angle, the form appears to dissolve into thin lines and gaps. From another, density returns and the volume coheres. This constant recalibration places the body in an active role, with perception shaped by pace and position. This way, the atrium becomes a space for pause and observation rather than passage alone.
Astra hangs within the atrium of the State Docking Building in Kansas
the installation occupies the atrium of the civic building
layered acrylic sheets form a spatial image through depth and alignment
the work changes appearance as viewers move through the atrium
mirrored surfaces extend the perceived height of the space
movement shapes how the form gathers and disperses in view
project info:
project title: Astra
artist: David Spriggs | @david_spriggs
location: State Docking Building Kansas, USA
completion: 2025
photography: © David Spriggs
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