Andy Warhol: Silver Clouds at Artisphere

Proceeds from Artisphere's IndieGoGo campaign—launched today with a fundraising goal of $10,000—directly support the maintenance of the Silver Clouds and will be instrumental in keeping them afloat as each "Silver Cloud" needs to be carefully filled with a mixture of helium and air on a weekly basis. Supporters of the campaign will help connect thousands to a truly transcendent arts experience by the legendary Andy Warhol. A series of exclusive benefits for supporters have been created ranging from getting in 30 minutes before the exhibit opens to the public and a limited edition artwork to you and ten friends getting two private hours amongst the Silver Clouds.

First exhibited in 1966 at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York, Silver Clouds has at its origin, the then groundbreaking intersection of art and technology. In 1964, artist Andy Warhol reached out to Bell Labs electrical engineer Billy Klüver:

"At the 47th Street factory, Andy Warhol asked me for a floating light bulb. My colleague at Bell Laboratories found a material called Scotchpak, which was relatively impermeable to helium and could be heat-sealed. When I brought this material to Andy, he decided to make clouds, and while we were figuring out how to heat-seal curves, he simply folded the material over and made these Silver Clouds." -- Billy Klüver, The Story of E.A.T. Experiments in Art and Technology, 1960--2001 [1]

Klüver founded Experiments in Art and Technology, or E.A.T. -- an early forum for bringing artists and scientists together. This connection between creativity and innovation is at the core of Silver Clouds' origins and central to Artisphere's focus on connecting audiences to artists at the forefront of utilizing new technologies in their work.

The exhibition will be complemented by a series of public programs including a commissioned dance piece and interactive workshop by Dance Exchange—Merce Cunningham created a dance performance in response to the original installation in the Castelli Gallery. Of special note, Spanish new media artist Sergio Albiac will be creating a commissioned generative portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama inspired by Andy Warhol's signature portraiture. Other programs include an Artisphere birthday weekend celebration dance party, Night of 1000 Andys, and a free family open house with pop art inspired fun for the whole family.

[1] La Prade, Erik, "The Early Days of E.A.T.," IEEE Multimedia, vol. 9, no. 2 (April-June 2002): pp. 4-5. Please note that the quote attributed to Klüver is from his unpublished book The Story of E.A.T. Experiments in Art and Technology 1960--2001

Reproduction, including downloading of Andy Warhol works is prohibited by copyright laws and international conventions without the express written permission of Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.