The Shift from STEM to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) is becoming more apparent as more lessons diversify to accommodate different student interests and strengths. But can a subject like art relate to more industrial topics? Absolutely!

A perfect example of Art highlighting the strength of industrial equipment is Janet Echelman’s “Skies Painted with Unnumbered Sparks” uses Columbus McKinnon (CM) rigging equipment to bring the hanging sculpture to life in Vancouver, Canada.

The sculpture made entirely of soft fibers, weighed more than a ton. Echelman utilized Honeywell Spectra fiber, a lightweight, durable material 15 times stronger than steel by weight. 

CM Master Links and CM Master Rings connected the braided material of this traveling sculpture to the existing city architecture. These CM Herc Alloy links and rings have working loads from 10,000 up to 86,000 lbs.; that strength enabled the sculpture to safely hang between Vancouver, Canada’s 24-story Fairmont Waterfront and the Vancouver Convention Center, without jeopardizing pedestrians below.

It is designed to travel to cities around the globe after the 2014 TED Conference exhibition as an “idea worth spreading.”

Columbus McKinnon’s product distributor for this project was American Crane.