Roxy Paine on the Roof: Maelstrom September 6, 2009

American artist Roxy Paine (b. 1966) is creating a 130-foot-long by 45-foot-wide stainless-steel sculpture, especially for the Museum's Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden. Immersing viewers in what seems to be a cataclysmic force of nature, 'Maelstrom (2009)' is Paine's largest and most ambitious work to date. The most recent in a diverse body of work, this sculpture is one of the artist's dendroids based on systems such as vascular networks, tree roots, industrial piping and fungal mycelia. Set against Central Park and its architectural backdrop, the installation explores the interplay between the natural world and the built environment amid nature's inherently chaotic processes.