A large-scale suspended installation for the lobby of the Westin Briar Creek, Raleigh, North Carolina, commissioned by Kevin Barry Fine Art. Oak Leaf Cascade comprises hundreds of individually formed glass leaves suspended in an undulating composition that fills the full height of the hotel lobby.
Each leaf begins as a flat sheet of glass, waterjet cut to the precise shape of an oak leaf. The cut leaves are then individually heated and hand-formed, introducing the organic curves and asymmetries that give each one its natural character — no two are identical. Once cooled, every leaf is gilded by hand with gold leaf, catching the light differently depending on angle and time of day.
The result is an installation that references the oak landscape of North Carolina while demonstrating a fabrication approach distinct from Soffi’s blown glass work. For designers specifying statement lobby art that rewards close inspection, Oak Leaf Cascade shows what’s possible when traditional craft techniques; hot forming, gilding, are applied at architectural scale.
Client
Kevin Barry Fine Art
Location
Westin Briar Creek, Raleigh, NC
