Conceptual Cloud

Name: Conceptual Cloud
Location: Umprum Brno
Author: Marek Jan Štěpán
Cooperation: Zdeněk Hirnšal,  Marin Kopecký, Jan Vodička, Vanda Štěpánová, Paul Elsner, Bader Shams Al-Deen
Client: Moravská galerie v Brně
Proposal: 2015 - 2017
Photo: archive of atelier

In order to make the Museum of Decorative Arts and its terrace more accessible for the public several objects were designed. The building is already a place of social meetings, the new proposal it stabilizes and develops. The biggest intervention is the levitating conceptual object – the Cloud. It is fully interactive and it could be used for artistic performances.


The Cloud can respond to movement, sound or time, or on the contrary to be passive. Last but not least – It protects visitors from rain. For an institution involved in the arts industry is the Cloud a constantly changing exhibit and heart of the gallery. The inspiration could be found in Czech art, in the paintings of Josef Šima and contemporary works of surrealists.


The Cloud is designed as a pneumatic structure with inner overpressure. The ETFE matte foil layers form a sync-curved volume in the shape of kidney. The foil is secured against the wind and snow by a system of stainless ropes above the upper and under the lower foil. Inside the Cloud there is a network of several thousand RGB LEDs, which allows to project on the lower foil. The light is complemented by a soundsystem of a double character - ambient and interactive.