The atrium of the Hilton Anatole hotel is impressively large, soaring more than 150 feet into the air. Owner Harlan Crow, a legendary real estate investor, needed to fill this vast space. What happened next was perhaps the most ambitious kinetic sculpture ever commissioned: the Nebula. Conceived and designed by artist Reuben Margolin, the sculpture appears to swim as a motor on the ceiling rotates a massive truss that holds 445 stainless steel cables connected to 15,000 shimmering bicycle reflectors. The intention was to create something beautiful that draws people in, showcasing the grandeur of the atrium while truly doing justice to the space. The Nebula is an incredibly complex engineering feat that must be seen to be believed. Fortunately, early in the process, Margolin, the Hilton Anatole, and Gizmo Art Production, Inc.—the San Francisco firm run by Mark Sabatino that built and installed the Nebula—invited Wired.com to document the sculpture’s creation. The award-winning video team, led by producer Annaliza Savage and cameraman Greg Stidham, filmed over a hundred hours of footage. This included a complete stop-motion record of the entire installation last October, along with interviews featuring Margolin, the crew, and the typically publicity-shy Crow. The result is a four-part video series titled “Creating the Nebula.”
Check out Parts 2 – 4 on YouTube
