Janet Echelman

Earthtime 1.26 Zaragoza

Zaragoza, Spain Hand-spliced UHMWPE (Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene), knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon and polyester, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, steel trusses, and sky.

Radical Softness at Sarasota Art Museum

Sarasota Art Museum, Sarasota, FL Launch of traveling exhibition of "Janet Echelman: Radical Softness" now on view at Sarasota Art Museum through April 26, 2026.

Noli Timere, Dance #5

Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield, CT braided fiber, programmed LED lighting, and live original music with eight dancers; 30 × 40 × minimum height 24 ft.

Noli Timere, Dance #4

Zoellner Center for the Arts, Bethleham, PA braided fiber, programmed LED lighting, and live original music with eight dancers; 30 × 40 × minimum height 24 ft.

Remembering the Future

MIT Museum, Cambridge, MA hand-spliced knotted and braided high-tenacity polyester, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, dancers, and video; 67 × 24 × variable height up to 35 ft.

Radical Softness: The Responsive Art of Janet Echelman

Radical Softness is a visual compendium of Echelman's oeuvre, including detailed project documentation, archival source materials, and a fascinating illustrated chronology.

Earthtime 1.26 Enschede

Enschede, Netherlands Hand-spliced UHMWPE (Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene), knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon and polyester, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, steel trusses, and sky.

Noli Timere, Dance #3

McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ braided fiber, programmed LED lighting, and live original music with eight dancers; 30 × 40 × minimum height 24 ft.

Noli Timere, Dance #2

PS21, Chatham, NY knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon and polyester, programmed LED lighting, and live original music with eight dancers; 35 × 35 × minimum height 24 ft.

Butterfly Rest Stop

Kaleidoscope Park, Frisco, TX hand-spliced UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon and polyester, steel masts, six 40-ft3 concrete foundations, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, 3,384 pollinator-supporting plants, and sky; 190 × 126 × 66 ft.

Noli Timere, Sculpture #1

Palazzo del Senato, Milan, Italy hand-spliced UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon and polyester, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, historic architecture, custom-built reflection pool; 88 × 42 × 29 ft.

Noli Timere, Dance #1 (Everywhere the Edges)

Montreal, Canada knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon and polyester, programmed LED lighting and sound, with eight dancers; 35 × 35 × minimum height 24 ft.

Earthtime 1.26 Wadi Namar

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia hand-spliced UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon and polyester, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, steel trusses, Arabic majlis sofas, desert wadi, and sky; 88 × 42 × 29 ft.

Current

Gay Street and High Street, Columbus, OH hand-spliced UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon and polyester, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, historic architecture, roadway, and sky; 229 × 88 × 147 ft.

Study (Butterfly Rest Stop 1/9 scale)

Chiostro del Bramante, Rome, Italy hand-spliced braided UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, and historic architecture; 24 × 13 × 13 ft.

Enfold

Private collection, Hill House Montecito, CA knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon, welded stainless steel armature, shaped architectural acoustic panel, programmed LED lighting, and DMX controller; 53 × 41 × 17 ft.

Earthtime 1.78 Milan

Piazza Gae Aulenti, Milan hand-spliced UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon and polyester, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, architecture, reflection pool, and sky; 145 × 115 × 37 ft.

Earthtime 1.26 Milan

Biblioteca degli Alberi park, Milan hand-spliced UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon and polyester, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, park, and sky; 142 × 90 × 39 ft.

Earthtime 1.8 Perth

Supreme Court Gardens, Australia hand-spliced braided UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, steel trusses, park, and sky; 248 × 172 × 49 ft.

Earthtime 1.78 Vienna

MuseumsQuartier, Vienna hand-spliced braided UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon, cables piercing terra-cotta roof tiles in historic architecture with temporary ballast, steel truss, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, and sky; 220 × 330 × 60 ft.

Earthtime 1.78 Helsinki

Senate Square, Finland hand-spliced braided UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon, steel trusses, wind sensor, underwater microphones, speakers, responsive LED lighting, DMX controller, and sky; 209 × 180 × 55 ft.

Earthtime 1.78 Borås

Stora Torget Plaza, Sweden hand-spliced braided UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon, steel trusses, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, historic architecture, and sky; 145 × 115 ft. × variable height

Earthtime 1.26 Munich

Odeonsplatz, Germany hand-spliced knotted UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon, steel trusses and ballast, programmed LED lighting, and DMX controller, above temporary green-roofed amphitheater; 113 × 68 × 52 ft.

Earthtime 1.26 Jeddah

Jeddah Corniche, Saudi Arabia hand-spliced knotted UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon and polyester, steel masts, concrete foundations, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, and sky; 117 × 102 × 50 ft.

Without Beginning Middle or End

Private collection, Karuna Sindhu, Mumbai, India hand-spliced UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon, carbon fiber armature, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, and architecture; 50 × 43 × 14 ft.

Earthtime Korea

Alleyway Gwanggyo, South Korea hand-spliced braided UHMWPE, knotted and braided PTFE, steel, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, architecture, and sky; 172 × 159 × 48 ft.

Bending Arc

St. Pete Pier, St. Petersburg, FL hand-spliced braided UHMWPE, knotted and braided PTFE, steel masts, concrete foundations, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, and sky; 424 × 374 × 72 ft.

Earthtime 1.8 Green Mountain Falls

Gazebo Lake, Green Mountain Falls, CO hand-spliced UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon, steel, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, water, and sky; 145 × 115 ft. × variable height

Earthtime 1.78 Beverly Hills

Suspended over Santa Monica Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA hand-spliced UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon, steel trusses, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, roadway, and sky; 145 × 115 ft. × variable height

Earthtime 1.26 Hong Kong

Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong hand-spliced UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon, steel trusses, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, and historic architecture; 157 × 109 × 130 ft.

Pulse

Dilworth Plaza, Philadelphia atomized water particles, air handlers, bronze grating, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, and sensors; 60 × 230 × 5 ft.

Possible Futures of a Line, Traveling through Space and Time

US Embassy, Jakarta, Indonesia knotted and braided polyester and steel armature; variable dimensions

Earthtime 1.78 Madrid

Plaza Mayor, Spain hand-spliced UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon, steel trusses, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, historic architecture, and sky; 145 × 115 ft. × variable height

Earthtime 1.78 Dubai

Dubai Fountain, UAE hand-spliced UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon, steel trusses, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, water, and sky; 145 × 115 ft. × variable height

Target Swooping Austria

Freiheitsplatz, Graz, Austria hand-knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon, steel trusses, crane, programmed LED lighting, and DMX controller; 140 × 130 × 213 ft.

Possible Futures of a Line, Traveling through Space and Time

Cheongju Craft Biennale, South Korea knotted and braided polyester, injection-dyed carpet made from recycled netting, and programmed LED lighting; variable dimensions

Earthtime 1.8 Mexico City

Centro Cultural del México Contemporáneo, Mexico hand-spliced UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon, steel trusses, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, and sky; 100 × 45 × 36 ft.

Earthtime 1.8 Beijing

Solana Light Festival, Beijing, China hand-spliced UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon, steel trusses, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, and sky; 150 × 131 × 55 ft.

Earthtime 1.26 Shanghai

The Hub, Hongqiao district, Shanghai, China Spectra fiber, knotted and braided high-tenacity polyester, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, and sky; 221 × 162 × 59 ft.

Dream Catcher

Sunset Boulevard at La Cienega Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA hand-spliced and braided UHMWPE, PTFE, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, steel hardware embedded in concrete floor slabs, and sky; 47 × 110 × 110 ft.

Where We Met

LeBauer Park, Greensboro, NC hand-spliced braided UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon and polyester, steel pylons embedded with winch system, fixed LED lighting, and sky; 200 × 130 × 58 ft.

Possible Futures of a Line, Traveling Through Space and Time

Church of San Francesco, Como, Italy knotted and braided polyester, injection-dyed carpet made from recycled netting, and programmed LED lighting; 18 × 18 × 16 ft.

Earthtime 1.8 San Diego

Embarcadero Marina Park South, CA hand-spliced UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon, steel trusses, concrete ballast, programmed LED lights, and sky; 185 × 185 × 50 ft.

Earthtime 1.8 London

Oxford Circus, UK hand-spliced UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity nylon, steel trusses, Wi-Fi and interactive computer programming, mobile phone interface, projectors, LED lighting, DMX controller, and sky; 180 × 180 × 70 ft.

Earthtime 1.26 Chile

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Santiago, Chile Spectra fiber, knotted and braided high-tenacity polyester, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, and sky; 235 × 167 ft. × variable height

Earthtime 1.26 Montreal

Quartier des Spectacles, Montreal, Canada Spectra fiber, knotted and braided high-tenacity polyester, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, and sky; 417 × 165 × 110 ft.

Impatient Optimist

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA hand-spliced UHMWPE, knotted and braided PTFE, high-tenacity nylon, high-tenacity polyester, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, architecture, and sky; 300 × 175 × 55 ft.

Earthtime 1.8 Renwick

Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC hand-spliced UHMWPE, knotted and braided high-tenacity polyester, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, injection-dyed carpet made from recycled netting, and sewn textile filled with closed-cell beads on floor; 100 × 40 × 40 ft.

Earthtime 1.26 Prague

Jan Palach Square at Rudolfinum, Czech Republic Spectra fiber, knotted and braided high-tenacity polyester, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, and sky; 250 × 150 × 50 ft.

Earthtime 1.26 Durham

Suspended above the River Wear, Durham, UK Spectra fiber, knotted and braided high-tenacity polyester, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, and sky; 240 × 90 × 46 ft.

As If It Were Already Here

Rose Kennedy Greenway, Boston, MA spliced braided UHMWPE, braided high-tenacity polyester, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, architecture, and sky; 600 × 360 × 300 ft.

Skies Painted with Unnumbered Sparks

Vancouver waterfront, Canada hand-spliced braided Spectra fiber, knotted and twisted high-tenacity nylon, braided high-tenacity polyester, mobile phone interface, Wi-Fi, interactive computer programming, projectors, LED lighting, DMX controller, and sky; 745 × 475 × 175 ft.

Earthtime 1.26 Singapore

The Float at Marina Bay, Singapore Spectra fiber, knotted and braided high-tenacity polyester, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, artificial turf, and sky; 285 × 200 × 80 ft.

A. Memory

Collaboration with the Stuttgart Ballet, Germany knotted and braided high-tenacity polyester and lighting attached to ballet dancers' bodies; variable dimensions

Allegory

Matthew Knight Arena, University of Oregon, Eugene braided polyester with hand-knotted lace patterning, metal halide lighting, and motion sensors; 82 × 34 × 30 ft.

The Space Between Us

Santa Monica Beach, CA sculpted sand, spliced and braided high-tenacity polyester, knotted and twisted high-tenacity nylon, steel trusses, programmed LED lighting and sound, DMX controller, and sky; 220 × 170 × 60 ft.

Earthtime 1.26 Amsterdam

Suspended over the Amstel River and attached to City Hall and the Muziektheater, Netherlands Spectra fiber, knotted and braided high-tenacity polyester, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, and sky; 230 × 140 × 30 ft.

Every Beating Second

Terminal 2, San Francisco International Airport, CA powder-coated steel, fiber, skylights, terrazzo floor, programmed airflow, and LED lighting; net 1: 33 × 39 × 19 ft.; net 2: 30 × 35 × 22 ft.; net 3: 18 × 18 × 19 ft.; overall: 177 × 39 × 22 ft.

Earthtime 1.26 Sydney

Sydney Town Hall over George Street, Australia Spectra fiber, knotted and braided high-tenacity polyester, programmed LED lighting, DMX controller, and sky; 170 × 140 × 60 ft.

Earthtime 1.26 Denver

Denver Art Museum, CO Spectra fiber, knotted and braided high-tenacity polyester, LED lighting, roadway, and sky; 130 × 140 × 135 ft.

Water Sky Garden

Richmond Olympic Oval, BC, Canada knotted PTFE fiber "sky lanterns" suspended from painted galvanized steel armatures, red-stained cedar boardwalk, aeration system for "water drawing," LED lighting, and sky; east net: 84 × 160 × 73 ft.; north net: 65 × 122 × 69 ft.; length of boardwalk: 725 ft.; overall: 75,000 sq. ft.

Her Secret Is Patience

Civic Space Park, Phoenix, AZ hand-spliced high-tenacity polyester, steel, programmed lighting (originally metal halide, replaced with LED, and sky); 353 × 289 × 145 ft.

Expanding Club

Museum of Arts and Design, New York City high-tenacity polyester fiber and lighting; 25 × 20 ft. × variable height

Line Drawing

Poe Parking Garage, Tampa, FL knotted and braided high-tenacity polyester, metal halide lighting with dichroic filters, and railway tunnel; 408 × 33 × 56 ft.

She Changes

Cidade Salvador Plaza, Porto, Portugal knotted and braided PTFE, hand-spliced braided polyester, painted galvanized steel, concrete foundations, sculpted earth planted with grass, embedded white lights suspended over a three-lane highway roundabout, and sky; 485 × 406 × 160 ft.

Target Swooping V

Rotterdam waterfront, between the cruise terminal and the port hand-knotted high-tenacity nylon lace and steel pylon; 130 × 45 × 60 ft.

Target Swooping IV

Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach, FL hand-knotted high-tenacity nylon lace and courtyard; 120 × 120 × 65 ft.

Target Swooping III

Florence Lynch Gallery, New York City hand-knotted high-tenacity nylon lace and architecture; variable dimensions

Roadside Shrine II

Piers 88 and 90, New York City sewn vinyl-coated polyester and concrete; 57 × 9 × 18 ft.

Target Swooping II

Casa del Cordón, Palace of the Constables of Castile, Burgos, Spain hand-knotted high-tenacity nylon lace and historic architecture; 140 × 130 × 85 ft.

Target Swooping Down…Bullseye!

Feria de Madrid, Spain hand-knotted high-tenacity nylon laced onto steel roof deck railing; 135 × 135 × 90 ft.

Floor Target

G.V. Trade Complex, Coimbatore, India hand-knotted high-tenacity nylon lace and concrete floor; 100 × 100 ft. × variable height

Window Treatment with Twenty-One Tails

Florence Lynch Gallery, New York City knitted stainless steel, sewn vinyl-coated polyester mesh, PVC armature, window frames, and courtyard; variable dimensions

Roadside Shrine I: Cone Ridge

I-45 highway overpass, Houston, TX sewn vinyl-coated polyester, wood, and steel clamps; 57 × 9 × 18 ft.

Red Spikes on 29th Street

Florence Lynch Gallery, New York City sewn vinyl-coated polyester mesh, PVC armature, window frames, shadows on gallery floor, and airspace over 29th Street; variable dimensions

Kyoto Project

Hōnen-in temple on the Philosopher's Path, Japan silk, nylon, steel, and water garden; variable dimensions

Red Peak

Art Omi, Ghent, NY fiberglass, nylon, chiffon, steel, and landscape; 13 × 13 × 22 ft.

Green Torus with Modesty Panel

Art Omi, Ghent, NY fiberglass, steel, nylon, chiffon, and landscape; variable dimensions

Trying to Hide with Your Tail in the Air

Open-Air Museum of the Centre of Europe Europos Parkas, Vilnius, Lithuania hand-knotted nylon lace, steel armature and cable, and oak trees; 12 × 12 × 30 ft.

Inside-Outside

Fogg Museum, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA knitted stainless steel, sewn nylon, steel armature, and historic courtyard; 13 × 13 × 36 ft.

Garden of Earthly Delights

Coimbatore, India hand-chiseled earthen bricks, hand-knotted twine, lighting, steel, and concrete foundations; 52 × 52 × 83 ft.

Bellbottom series

• More Than You Can Chew

  105 × 105 × 150 in.

• Playpen/Suckle Bell Buckle

  65 × 65 × 60 in.

• Red Hot Dripping

  11 × 11 × 65 in.

• Till It Wilted I Wore It

  52 × 52 × 95 in.

• Wide Hips

  52 × 52 × 83 in.

• Yellow Bellied Button

  29 × 29 × 66 in.

Wax Gloves

Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA paraffin wax and architectural context; variable dimensions

Casa de Luz

Fogg Museum, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA variable dimensions

Breastplates

Harvard Dining Hall, Cambridge, MA cast plaster on dessert plates; variable dimensions