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Jean-François Millet
Peasant Spreading Manure
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Frederick Carl Frieseke
The Garden Parasol
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Roman
Aphrodite of Cyrene
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Mexican, Vera Cruz Culture, El Zapotal Style
Standing Female Deity or Deity Impersonator
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Jasper Francis Cropsey
Eagle Cliff, Franconia Notch, New Hampshire
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Jean-Baptiste Louis Gros
Crater of Popocatépetl
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Focus Works of Art
Cloud Chamber for the Trees and Sky
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Chris Drury
(British)
Cloud Chamber for the Trees and Sky,
2003 |
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Drury chose a wooded area of the Museum Park as the site for one of his cloud chambers. This permanent structure is approximately 12 feet in diameter and is built of dry stone. Notched logs make up an octagonal roof covered with turf and ground cover. The walls of the building are white cement. The structure has a wooden door and three benches attached to the interior walls. There is a small aperture about the size of a quarter in the middle of the roof. The width of this aperture can be changed to allow more or less light to pass through. When the door is closed and the aperture is open, light projects an image of the sky and forest onto the walls and floor of the room. This image is inverted - so clouds appear on the floor, and trees look upside down on the walls.
How does this object work?
The Cloud Chamber functions much like our eyes do. Light reflecting off objects around us enters our cornea and is projected onto our retina, inverted and reversed, by the lens. This information is sent to the brain, where it is translated into vision. Artists have tried to replicate this process for centuries. In the 17th century, a device known as the camera obscura (or dark chamber) was developed as a tool to help artists draw the world around them. Later this box was transformed into the camera. Drury's Cloud Chamber is a room-size version of these devices. When you walk inside, you become part of the world above. The reflection of the sky and forest forces you to look closely at the parts of nature we so often take for granted.
What are some characteristics of Chris Drury's works of art?
Chris Drury considers himself a land artist. He builds cairns, shelters and cloud chambers out of natural materials, such as stone, wood and plants. Many of his works are ephemeral and will eventually decompose. He even creates some of them in remote areas where he knows they will never be seen by others. His work reminds us of the cycle of creation and decay, as well as the other amazing things we can discover in nature.
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Below are suggestions for using the Focus Work of Art with students in the classroom. The activity and discussion ideas are listed in order of difficulty. The activity instructions and italicized discussion questions may be presented directly to students. The icons below each suggestion note the related subject area(s). Click on each icon to determine which subject area it represents. Browse the thematic Lesson Plans for more ideas on how to use this work of art and theme in the classroom. |
- All Five Senses
The cloud chamber focuses on our sense of sight. Which of our other senses do we use to understand the natural world? Take a walk in the woods or to a park. Make a detailed list of what you hear, smell, touch, taste and see in this setting. Write a poem about this environment using adjectives from your list.
 
- Ephemeral Nature Art
Create a temporary artwork using natural materials that you find on a walk in the woods. Photograph your artwork to document your idea. Consider how the materials you have used will survive over time. Identify which materials will deteriorate first. Discuss why artists might make works of art that are ephemeral.
- Sky as Subject
The artist helps us see the sky – a part of nature we often take for granted. Select another element of nature we see everyday but may not notice in detail. Create an artwork or write a story that explores this everyday element.
- Camera Obscura
Create a camera obscura using a box or your classroom. Click here for instructions. Choose a subject for a drawing. Draw this subject using only your hand and eye. Draw the same subject using a camera obscura. Compare these drawings, and consider why artists use this tool to re-create what they see.
- Vision
Identify the parts of the eye and brain that are responsible for vision. Create a diagram that illustrates how we process visual information. Compare this process to the way the cloud chamber functions. Consider how long it would take for our eyes to be fully attuned to the visual information in the dark chamber.
- Nature's Camera
On a sunny day, observe the pattern of light beneath the leafy canopy of a tree. What shapes do you see? Predict the shapes you would see during a solar eclipse. Discuss how the pinhole gaps between the leaves function like the aperture in the cloud chamber. Make a diagram of the sun, tree, and ground. Trace rays from five points on the sun through the leaf aperture and onto the ground. Using the diagram as an aid, explain why the image is inverted.
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