Tethered Cloud

As part of the Kielder Art and Architecture programme, begun in 1995, the architects Sebastian Messer and Taylor Grindley and artist Stephen Newby, were commissioned to produce a new shelter for the western end of Kielder Waterside. “Tethered Cloud” was created to reflect the elements of the landscape that surrounded the site.

Installed in 2021 the shelter comprises a series of upright timber sleepers, which represent the vertical form of the Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis), and a reflective, inflated steel “Cloud” to represent the “big skies” of Northumberland. The cloud itself is a mirror finished, stainless steel and is designed to catch the changes in light, lake and sky. It is “tethered” to the landscape by 3 stainless steel poles.

The cloud was created using a method known as “mould-less hydroforming” where flat sheets of steel were welded together and then “inflated” using water under high pressure. As it is formed by internal pressure the shape can be organic and unpredictable in much the same way as clouds form in the pressures of the atmosphere. It also has an opening through the centre which acts as a lens, framing patches of the sky, allowing the viewer to focus on the tiny changes in form and light in the sky.

The curved timber walls create numerous seating areas allowing people to fully experience the installation by stopping and resting for a while. The natural material, a contrast to the engineered cloud, helps to ground the piece in the landscape. This installation is much like Kielder itself, a contrast of seemingly natural while being largely man-made.