Large-scale kinetic installation made up of thousands of emergency blankets

The kinetic installation “Blankets” by international artist SpY makes use of real-life elements to work with movement, light and sound in unique ways.

The artwork is made up of hundreds of emergency blankets moving to an ongoing choreography. This shifting generates varying undulation patterns across the piece, as well as a solemn sound field evoking a distant ocean.

In line with some of SpY’s most celebrated projects, “Blankets” makes use of real-life objects as sculptural elements. The artist drastically reframes these objects –often loaded with symbolic connotations– to subvert expectations and meanings.

“Blankets” offers a fluid visual experience in which the artwork never looks the same. In addition to its shifting shape, the scale of the piece invites visitors to view it from contrasting perspectives, from which either the golden or silver sides of the blankets are visible.

This monumental installation is currently on view at the main hall of the Times Art Museum in Chengdu, China, as part of the exhibition “瞬息涌现 A Momentary Spring.”