Xtra Moenia is a colouful urban spiderweb for the San Gennaro North Gate in New York City. This site-specific outdoor installation was created by SOFTlab, who was commissioned by Two Bridges Neighbourhood Council. It was produced by The They Co.
Xtra Moenia uses the adjacent structures to allow the spiderweb to hover over the street. The structure is a system with four-pointed pieces that allows the units to fluctuate in size and colour, resulting in a three-dimensional surface.
SOFTlab explain that there are two points that get pulled out in opposite directions to result in a tubular form that visitors can experience from below. “The bright gradient coupled with the polar directional pull of the plane creates a dynamic visual tension to the piece.”
The installation was made using 4224 laser-cut panels, with each panel cut into a unique shape and printed with a custom colour. More than 6000 aluminium grommets were used to connect the panels. Xtra Moenia is held in shape with a complex system of cables and tubes attached to the surrounding buildings.
Xtra Moenia can be viewed until 25 September 2011.
