Dimmable LED rings animate a ceiling sculpture of ceramic vessels made by First Nations’ artists.

Ceramic Cloud is a suspended artwork that features a collaboration between Google Canada and contemporary indigenous artists. Concepted by design studio SOSO, the installation celebrates the enduring innovation of indigenous artists in Canada, while demonstrating Google’s commitment to platform and uplift First Nations people. Ceramic bowls handbuilt by artists Marleen Murphy (Mohawk, Tyendinaga First Nation) and N. Santiago (Mohawk) were slip cast and replicated to produce ceramic shades for LED rings. The suspended LED artwork activates an Event Space with patterns of dancing light that tell different stories pertaining to Google’s social, environmental, and economic impact on Canada. SOSO reached out to Patten Studio to prototype and develop the Ceramic Cloud concept, and ultimately to produce and integrate the artwork into Google’s Toronto offices at 65 King East.

Patten Studio designed and produced the custom LED rings that animate the artwork’s 168 ceramic pendants. Each LED ring is composed of an LED strip encased in a CNC cut aluminum channel. Power and data is delivered through the aluminum stem that supports the pendant’s weight and the wires that suspend the ring at height. In order to level and center each LED ring uniformly within the bowls, Patten designed an adjustable 3D printed base. The artwork’s LED driver assembly uses a modified version of Patten Studio’s Exponent Motor Controller networked over RS485. Firmware written in C allows the LED rings to be DMX addressable and supports SOSO’s lighting animation. Each LED driver board is encased in a 3D printed enclosure for plug & play installation and serviceability, to streamline the installation process and allow for the easier maintenance of the artwork by Google. Upon installation, all custom electronic components used in Ceramic Cloud were assessed for UL compliance, in accordance with Google standards.

First Nations artists Marleen Murphy and N. Santiago fabricated the master bowls that were slip cast to create Ceramic Cloud’s pendants. Patten Studio worked closely with production ceramicist Filipa Pimentel to produce dimensionally precise replications that preserve the engraved storytelling at the vessel’s rim while meeting the design’s demanding engineering criteria. The artists created 10 master bowls to specification that were replicated through slip casting to meet the artwork’s demanding tolerances; this method also allowed for the final pendants to be made with a thinner wall, complying with client preferences, while still appearing hand coiled. The result of this process was the production of 168 bowls that met the artwork’s strict dimensional requirements, with no two bowls being identical. 

Patten Studio worked closely with the general contractor Govan Brown and architect iN STUDIO to coordinate the artwork’s integration into the Event Space ceiling. Ceramic Cloud’s electronics are installed directly into a fire rated plywood support structure composed of 84 mounting panels. Alignment arms allow these mounting panels to lock into their corresponding ceiling tiles, matching the ceiling layout without placing any weight on the delicate aluminum ceiling system. The weight of the panels is supported by a Unistrut matrix that allows for adjustments to be made along the X, Y, and Z axes, ensuring that the artwork can be spaced and leveled regardless of variations in the ceiling slab, and that pendants can be suspended through the pre-drilled ceiling tiles.

Surmounting the artwork’s unique design challenges and global supply chain shortages of clay and material components, Patten produced Ceramic Cloud to bring SOSO’s vision for Google’s Event Space to life. Patten partnered with AMDI to install Ceramic Cloud in Google’s Toronto offices in Spring of 2024.