Echelman's aerial sculpture to bloom over Frisco's new Kaleidoscope Park

 

Janet Echelman’s “Butterfly Rest Stop”, which took to the sky in Kaleidoscope Park in late June, is meant to have viewers exploring the interconnectedness of humans and nature, of which Echelman’s art practice delves deep into these themes, drawing from her fascination with the natural world. This particular art installation focuses on the role butterflies and other pollinators play in the ecosystem.

According to her website, Echelman sculpts at the scale of buildings and city blocks. Echelman’s work defies categorization, as it intersects sculpture, architecture, urban design, material science, structural and aeronautical engineering, and computer science. Echelman’s art transforms with wind and light, and shifts from being “an object you look at, into an experience you can get lost in.”

Photo courtesy of Janet Echelman

When Kaleidoscope Park's aerial sculpture "Butterfly Rest Stop" opens to the public this summer, creator Janet Echelman hopes visitors will connect with nature.

The artwork, which took to the sky in Kaleidoscope Park in late June, is meant to have viewers exploring the interconnectedness of humans and nature, of which Echelman’s art practice delves deep into these themes, drawing from her fascination with the natural world. This particular art installation focuses on the role butterflies and other pollinators play in the ecosystem.

The nearly six-acre Kaleidoscope Park, set to open in fall 2024, is located in HALL Park at the intersection of the Dallas North Tollway and Warren Parkway in Frisco, and in neighboring distance to The Star, Stonebriar Centre, Legacy West, The Shops at Legacy and The Boardwalk at Granite Park.

The Park is made possible through a public-private partnership among Kaleidoscope Park Foundation, Communities Foundation of Texas and the city of Frisco. This partnership provides the synergies required to develop such a unique asset and destination. It is part of a larger development that includes The Monarch at HALL Park residences, HALL Park Hotel, The Tower at HALL Park office building and a new eatery.

Progress photo of Janet Echelman’s “Butterfly Rest Stop” being installed at Kaleidoscope Park. 

Courtesy of Studio Echelman / Facebook

“When I learned the Monarch butterflies migrate through the area each October, I wanted to plant milkweed below to help create a sustaining pollinator corridor, and to suspend my first flower-inspired sculptures in the sky to remind us of our interconnected destinies, and of the interconnected systems of the natural world of which we are a small part,” Echelman told the Frisco Enterprise.

The artwork features two five-petaled sculptural forms composed of soft braided fiber, floating gently in the air. The design is inspired by the form, pattern, and color of native milkweed flowers, which are essential for the survival of Monarch butterflies during their migration.

Echelman's piece not only celebrates the beauty of these flowers but also poses questions about perception, as it invites viewers to consider how these flowers might appear to butterflies, which see the world through compound eyes.

"I thrive on collaboration, and this project offered me the chance to work with a dream team, including the talented landscape architecture team from OJB, and the visionary Craig Hall and the HALL Group,” she said.

This teamwork has culminated into an artwork that serves as a centerpiece for the Arts Plaza at Kaleidoscope Park, a role that Echelman finds particularly meaningful.