Chromatic Canopy — hundreds of hand-blown glass feathers in black, white, red and yellow suspended from cedar-clad ring canopies in multi-storey atrium, SOAHAC London Ontario

Chromatic Canopy is a large-scale atrium installation commissioned by the Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre in London, Ontario, developed in collaboration with Nicholson Sheffield Architects.

The installation comprises over 1,000 individually hand-blown glass feathers suspended on braided steel cable from a series of custom ring canopies — 8, 6, and 4 feet in diameter — hung at staggered heights across the full volume of the building’s multi-storey atrium. The feathers range from 9 to 14 inches in length, each hand-formed and distinct, in a full spectrum of colours anchored by four: black, white, red, and yellow. The colour mix shifts and disperses across the canopies, creating the effect of a slow, suspended fall through the atrium space.

The ring canopies were fabricated entirely in-house, with patinated steel frames clad in cedar laminate. Installation required scaffolding and harness work across multiple days to position each piece within the composition.

At over 1,000 pieces spanning a multi-storey atrium, Chromatic Canopy is among the largest installations we have undertaken. It was completed in 2025.

Client

Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre in London, Ontario, developed in collaboration with Nicholson Sheffield Architects.

Location

London, ON

Looking up through cedar-clad ring canopy with hand-blown glass feathers in black, white, red and yellow suspended in multi-storey atrium, SOAHAC London Ontario
Full atrium view of Chromatic Canopy installation from mezzanine level showing scale of suspended glass feathers across multiple floors, SOAHAC London Ontario
Top-down view of cedar-clad ring canopies with multicolour hand-blown glass feathers suspended in atrium, SOAHAC London Ontario 2025
Top-down view of cedar-clad ring canopies with multicolour hand-blown glass feathers suspended in atrium, SOAHAC London Ontario 2025
Wide atrium view of Chromatic Canopy showing full drop height of glass feather installation across multi-storey space, SOAHAC London Ontario
Looking up through cedar-clad ring canopy with hand-blown glass feathers in black, white, red and yellow suspended in multi-storey atrium, SOAHAC London Ontario
Wide atrium view of Chromatic Canopy showing full drop height of glass feather installation across multi-storey space, SOAHAC London Ontario
Wide atrium view of Chromatic Canopy showing full drop height of glass feather installation across multi-storey space, SOAHAC London Ontario
Eva and Amy in safety harnesses during installation of Chromatic Canopy glass feather atrium installation, SOAHAC London Ontario
Studio floor covered with hundreds of hand-blown glass feathers in multiple colours laid out prior to installation, Soffi Studio Windsor