Doesn’t San Francisco have enough fog? Apparently not! Here we are at the Cloud Portal, a sculpture by Ned Kahn. It stands at the corner of Washington and Davis, in the Golden Gateway Center.
The Cloud Portal is more than just a sculpture. It’s an experience. Kahn completed it in 2011. It’s one of several Kahn sculptures around San Francisco.
Ned Kahn seems to have a mad scientist fascination with weather. Many of his sculptures use wind power. Others create whirlpools. Here, he’s giving San Francisco a bit more of what it’s known for: fog.
This isn’t just any fog. Mist periodically emerges from the central void of the sculpture. The Cloud Portal is constructed of stacked horizontal sheets of stainless steel. The mist alternately reveals and obscures the urban landscape. The sculpture frames this landscape.
Imagine the scene. You have stainless steel sheets stacked like pancakes. They sit in a pool of still water. Then, mist sprays out from the opening in the middle. It’s like a magic trick.
The Cloud Portal is a collaboration with RHAA landscape architects. It bridges environmental sculpture and a steampunk humidifier. Kahn’s work expands our idea of art. His ability to control weather phenomena on command makes his work unique.
The Cloud Portal is one of Kahn’s kinetic sculptures. He’s an artist whose work goes beyond the ordinary.