By definition, “flotant” means to fly or stream in the air. Expanding on this notion, Flotant worked to transform the Projects Gallery of the John Michael Kohler Art Center into a floating marsh (suspended by extruded plastic rods). 

Masses of rims—from approximately 50,000 Styrofoam cups—hovered over the walls and spilled onto the gallery floor, making the large open space feel intimate. 

Unified through repetition, grouping, proximity, and density the rims lost their associations with the cups and became an essential part of the whole installation. 

This environment referenced Yann Martel’s novel, Life of Pi. In the story, Pi finds himself on a floating island that is a temporary shelter and place of hope. And in this site-specific installation, Flotant, plays with the negative spaces formed by the rims to evoke an inviting island mass—at once visible and invisible—allowing for thoughtful contemplation.