Ned Kahn


Ned Kahn is an environmental artist and sculptor, known in particular for museum exhibits he has built for the Exploratorium in San Francisco. His works usually intend to capture an invisible aspect of nature and make it visible.

Early life

At the age of 10, Kahn staged his first exhibition of sculptures fashioned from items salvaged from a junkyard, where his mother had taken him. After graduating with a degree in botany and environmental science from the University of Connecticut, Kahn moved to San Francisco, where he was fascinated by the Exploratorium. Eventually, he was hired and worked there from 1982 to 1996 under the tutelage of the museum's founder, Frank Oppenheimer. Later, Kahn was the artist in residence at the Headlands Center for the Arts starting in 2001.
Kahn moved from San Francisco to Graton, California in 1998 and works from the Ned Kahn Studios in Sebastopol. He is married and has two children. Kahn cites his daily meditation routine as key to his artistic development.

Awards

Kahn won a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" fellowship in 2003, and the National Design Award for landscape architecture in 2005.

Works

Some examples of Kahn's work to capture the invisible include building facades that move in waves in response to wind; indoor tornadoes and vortices made of fog, steam, or fire; and a transparent sphere containing water and sand which, when spun, erodes a beach-like ripple pattern into the sand surface. In 2003 Kahn collaborated with Koning Eizenberg Architecture, Inc. on Articulated Cloud, a piece installed on the exterior walls of the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh consisting of hundreds of movable flaps that respond to the wind creating visible patterns.
His work is in the collection of di Rosa, Napa.
TitleImageElementLocationCityState/
Country		YearNotesRefs.
Aeolian LandscapeSandMuseum of Life and ScienceDurhamNorth Carolina1993Also on exhibit at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.
Articulated CloudWindChildren's Museum of PittsburghPittsburghPennsylvania2004Collaboration with Konig/Eizenberg
AvalancheSandMuseum of Science and IndustryChicagoIllinois2011A similar piece named Negev Wheel has been exhibited at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco.
Braided StreamWindExploratoriumSan FranciscoCalifornia
Breathing SkyFogYerba Buena Center for the ArtsSan FranciscoCalifornia1995
Bus Jet FountainWaterTransbay Transit CenterSan FranciscoCalifornia2018
Chain of EtherWindResMed CorporationSan DiegoCalifornia2009
Chaotic PendulumExploratoriumSan FranciscoCalifornia
Circular Wave UmbrellaWindExploratoriumSan FranciscoCalifornia
Cloud ArborFogBuhl Community ParkPittsburghPennsylvania2012Collaboration with Andi Cochran
Cloud PortalFogDavis CourtSan FranciscoCalifornia2011Collaboration with RHAA
Cloud RingsFog21c Museum Hotel LouisvilleLouisvilleKentucky2006An installation with the same name is on exhibit at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.
Cloud VesselFogThe DocksSacramentoCalifornia2010Collaboration with Walker Macy
Digitized FieldWindAT&T BuildingSanta RosaCalifornia2004
Divided SeaWaterEmerald Glen ParkDublinCalifornia2004
Duales Systems PavilionFogExpo 2000HanoverGermany2000Collaboration with Uwe Bruckner-
EnaguaWindPlaya VistaLos AngelesCalifornia2015Collaboration with Johnson/Fain
Encircled CloudFogParadise Ridge Winery and Sculpture GardenSanta RosaCalifornia2012
Encircled StreamWaterFounders Court
Seattle Center		SeattleWashington1995Collaboration with Atelier Landscape Architects
Encircled VoidWindBertolini Student Center
Santa Rosa Junior College		Santa RosaCalifornia2010
Erratic FenceWindSonoma County MuseumSanta RosaCalifornia2015Collaboration with Jensen Architects
Feather WallWindRobert B. Green Clinical PavilionSan AntonioTexas2012Collaboration with Overland Partners and RTKL
Field of AirWindDenver International Airport
between Jeppesen Terminal and Westin Hotel		DenverColorado2015Collaboration with Gensler
Fire VortexFire/LightTechnoramaWinterthurSwitzerland1997
FireflyFire/LightSan Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Civic Center		San FranciscoCalifornia2012
Fluvial StormSandExploratoriumSan FranciscoCalifornia1990
Glacial FacadeFire/LightIssaquah Highlands Park and RideIssaquahWashington2006
Greenhouse ProjectFire/LightSan Francisco County Jail 3San BrunoCalifornia1990
Hidden SeaWindCeatrice Polite ApartmentsSan FranciscoCalifornia2000
Hyperbolic ParaboloidWindCrossroads SchoolSanta MonicaCalifornia2015Collaboration with Fred Fisher
Liquid PixelsWindRosslyn
1801 N Lynn St		ArlingtonVirginia2002-
Magnetic Field StoneSandExploratoriumSan FranciscoCalifornia1996
Mare UndurumFire/LightTempe Center for the ArtsTempeArizona2008-
MicroturbinesWindSanta Rosa Junior CollegeSanta RosaCalifornia2009
Net of IndraFire/LightAutomated Garage at City HallWest HollywoodCaliforniaCollaboration with Rick D'Amato
Pebble ChimeSandDiscovery World
Pier Wisconsin		MilwaukeeWisconsin2006
Pedibrion FallsWater21c Museum Hotel DurhamDurhamNorth Carolina2015
Prairie TreeWindNicollet MallMinneapolisMinnesota2017
Prism TunnelFire/LightChildren's Garden
Huntington Library Gardens		San MarinoCalifornia2004-
Project LionsWindDebenhams flagship
Oxford Street		LondonEngland2014Collaboration with Archial Architects-
Quantum WaveWaterATF HeadquartersWashingtonDistrict of Columbia2008-
Rain OculusWaterMarina Bay SandsSingapore2011Collaboration with Moshe Safdie
Rain PortalWaterSan Francisco Public Utilities CommissionSan FranciscoCalifornia2012Deaccessioned in 2018 due to persistent leakage.
Rainbow ArborFogSkirball Cultural CenterLos AngelesCalifornia2008Collaboration with Moshe Safdie
Rift ZoneSandExploratoriumSan FranciscoCalifornia
Seismic SeaWaterPasadena Museum of California ArtPasadenaCalifornia2009
Sonic PoolWaterChildren's Garden
Huntington Library Gardens		San MarinoCalifornia2004-
Sonic RangeSandExploratoriumSan FranciscoCalifornia1992
SpoonfallWaterH2 HotelHealdsburgCalifornia2010-
Subducted LandscapesSandChevron Texaco HeadquartersSan RamonCalifornia2002
Technorama FacadeWindTechnorama
The Swiss Science Center		WinterthurSwitzerland2002-
Tipping WallWaterMarina Bay SandsSingapore2011Collaboration with Moshe Safdie
TornadoFogWorld Financial Center
Battery Park City		New YorkNew York1990Also on exhibit at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.
Turbulent LineWindBrisbane AirportBrisbaneAustralia2012Collaboration with UAP
Turbulent OrbWaterWorld Financial Center
Battery Park City		New YorkNew York1990Also on exhibit at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.
Turbulent ShadeWindCity HallChandlerArizona2010-
Vertical CanalWindRijkswaterstaatUtrechtNetherlands2008
The WaveWindTarget FieldMinneapolisMinnesota2010Collaboration with Tom Oslund and Associates
Wave OculusWaterUnion Point PierOaklandCalifornia2006
Wavespout WaterVentura PierSan BuenaventuraCalifornia1993Destroyed by 1995 storm along with of the Pier
Wind ArborWindMarina Bay SandsSingapore2011Collaboration with Moshe Safdie-
Wind CubeWindSanta RosaCalifornia2005
Wind FenceWindUniversity of OregonEugeneOregon
Wind FingersWindSebastopolCalifornia
Wind FinsWindNeiman MarcusWalnut CreekCalifornia2012
Wind HouseWindDiRosa Art and Nature PreserveNapaCalifornia2003
Wind LeavesWindDiscovery World
Pier Wisconsin		MilwaukeeWisconsin2006
Wind PortalWindSan Francisco International Airport stationSan FranciscoCalifornia2003
Wind RoundaboutWindTraffic roundaboutFort WorthTexas2015
Wind SilosWindInternational Trade CenterCharlotteNorth Carolina2006
Wind VeilWindGateway VillageCharlotteNorth Carolina2000