2012. Tifft Nature Preserve, Buffalo, NY: Buffalo Museum of Science
BAT CLOUD is part of the University at Buffalo Humanities Institute’s “Fluid Culture” Event Series. Thanks also to the UB School of Architecture and Planning for support (Project design and fabrication manager: Sze Wan Li-Bain; Concept collaborator: Mikaila Waters; Fabrication collaborators: Robert Yoos, Molly Hogle, Duane Warren, Shawn Lewis; Installation collaborators: Matthieu Bain, Joshua Gardner, Shawn Lewis, Sze Wan Li-Bain, Sergio López-Piñeiro, Nellie Niespodzinski, Mark Nowaczyk, Alex Poklinkowski, Joseph Swerdlin, Duane Warren, Robert Yoos; Consultants: Mark Bajorek, Katharina Dittmar; Fluid Culture organizers: Colleen Culleton, Justin Read; Tifft/Buffalo Musuem of Science coordinators: Lauren Makeyenko, David Spiering)
BAT CLOUD is a hanging canopy of vessels that is designed and constructed to support bat habitation. From afar, the piece appears like a cloud, hovering in the trees. Closer up, viewers from below would be able to see plants hanging from each vessel. At dusk, onlookers would hopefully be able to catch sight of bats or other wildlife emerging from the habitation vessels.
Each vessel is formed in a way to allow bats to enter and inhabit its uppermost portion. The lower volume of each vessel is filled with soil and native plants. The vessels are also designed so that bat guano would collect in the soil-filled planting area, thus fertilizing the vegetation. The lowermost portion of each vessel is constructed in a way to allow for slow water drainage.
