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Sep 11, 2023

Artists use desert materials to craft unique sculpture at Apple Park

CUPERTINO — A unique interactive sculpture artists crafted using materials found

CUPERTINO — A unique interactive sculpture artists crafted using materials found in the world's deserts both near and far is going on public display at Apple Park in Cupertino, the tech titan said.

Mirage, a dramatic sculpture that consists of cylinders of pure cast glass, can be seen near the visitor center at the world headquarters of iPhone maker Apple. Both the local public and visitors from afar are welcome to see the interactive artwork.

Tucked away in the olive groves at Apple Park, the glass cylinders curve along the trees near the visitor center.

The materials in the sculpture serve as a tribute to approximately 70 deserts around the world. Some of these are obvious deserts, but others might raise some eyebrows.

The sands of the Kalahari. The barren stretches of the Mojave Desert. The dunes of the Sahara. The moonscape deserts on the Big Island of Hawaii. The wilderness of Death Valley. The windswept deserts of Iceland. The salt flats of Utah.

And even materials from the frozen wastes of Antarctica — which includes some of the world's driest regions — contributed to the cylinders.

"We’ve been part of this community for more than four decades, and are thrilled that Mirage offers yet another way for our neighbors and visitors here at Apple Park to engage with Apple," said Kristina Raspe, Apple's vice president for global real estate and facilities.

Mirage is a creation of Katie Paterson, an award-winning visual artist; and Christoph Zeller and Ingrid Moye, partners and co-founders at the famed design studio Zeller & Moye.

The sculpture is a labor of love that's now coming into view for the first time. Thursday, June 1, marked the first day that visitors to Apple Park could see it.

"We have been working on Mirage for a few years now," Paterson said. "Seeing all of it for the first time, we are over the moon with excitement about Mirage."

In keeping with the materials that form the cylinders, the sculpture was designed to preserve the environment where the art resides.

"This is like a garden, with over 400 glass pillars," Zeller said. "We deliberately chose the most iconic forms for the sculpture. We wanted to create curved walls around the olive grove. Mirage coexists with Apple Park."

Mirage also coexists with the olive groves. The designers took care not to disturb any of the olive trees that are next to the sculpture.

"By using the curved pillars, we developed the structures around the trees," Zeller said.

With materials from deserts worldwide, the Mirage sculpture also beckons visitors to embark on an artistic journey to one wilderness after another.

"This takes visitors on a journey throughout the earth," Paterson said. "It creates a contemplative space. You are surrounded by the earth, you experience the texture of the glass. Each piece has its own unique characteristics."

The desert areas of California as well as the concept of going back in time provided much of the inspiration for the launch of Mirage.

"We brought together materials that went back far to a primordial time," Paterson said.

Ultimately, the artwork is designed to nudge the viewer back to the origins of the materials.

Perhaps the most unexpected component arrived from one of the world's coldest — and driest — areas.

"Antarctica was a big surprise," Paterson said. "It is a vast polar desert. A desert can be many things."

And starting this week, visitors will be able to get a sense of the variety of the world's deserts.

"We hope visitors from around the world will enjoy this beautiful intersection of art, technology and nature," said Raspe, the Apple real estate executive.

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