Sculptor David Henderson transforms the broad, open space of JCSM’s Grand Gallery with a dramatic, site-specific installation on view throughout the fall. Composed of large, curvilinear forms constructed of fiberglass and Dacron fabric—the same materials used for ultra-light aircraft—the room-filling structure reflects man’s longstanding fascination with flight. Henderson’s elegant, repeating shapes evoke the complex, interwoven lines found on ceiling vaults in Gothic architecture. The Brooklyn-based artist engineers each venue’s unique installation using computer-assisted design software and meticulously hand crafts the segments’ intricate design. Appearing almost weightless, the interconnected ribs and tissue-like skin that make up A Brief History of Aviationrise, separate, and converge rhythmically within the confines of the gallery architecture as if guided by the wind.

David Henderson holds a Bachelors degree from Bard College and Masters degree from Columbia University. His art has been written about in ArtNews, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, and The New Yorker, among other publications, and has appeared in exhibitions across the United States and in Paris, France.