銀河 GINGA (THE SILVER RIVER IN THE SKY)
Printed Fabric, Stainless Steel
120 x 58 x 2400 in (305 x 147 x 6096 cm)
2019
Location: Socrates Sculpture Park, New York | Commissioned by Socrates Sculpture Park Photo Credit: Socrates Sculpture Park. Photos By Nick Knight
Miya Ando’s 銀河 Ginga (The Silver River in the Sky) was a monumental outdoor installation commissioned by Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens, New York, for the 2019 exhibition Chronos Cosmos: Deep Time, Open Space. The title Ginga translates to “silver river” or “galaxy” in Japanese, referencing the Milky Way and drawing from East Asian cosmological traditions, where the galaxy is envisioned as a celestial river flowing across the sky. Spanning 200 feet in length and measuring 10 × 3.5 × 200 feet, the work was composed of printed fabric and stainless steel. The installation formed a circuitous canopy of undulating chiffon, patterned with images of clouds and suspended above the earth. As wind moved through the park, the fabric gently shifted, creating a dynamic, meditative environment where viewers could witness the ever-changing interplay of light, shadow, and movement. Ginga connected two temporal and natural phenomena: the flowing water of a river and the distant movement of stars. These elements served as metaphors for time's passage and the continuity between the terrestrial and the celestial. Installed along the East River shoreline, the work harmonized with its surroundings, encouraging reflection on both planetary and cosmic scales of experience. The installation exemplified Ando’s commitment to creating works that bridge the natural world with human perception—highlighting impermanence, transformation, and the poetic structures through which we understand time and existence.