Here’s a Drone’s Eye View of the Janet Echelman Sculpture on the Greenway

It's an ode both to the departing sculpture and a summer of art on the Greenway.


Since its installation in May, Janet Echelman’s “As If It Were Already Here,” a fiber-made visual spectacle suspended from three high-rise building overlooking the Rose Kennedy Greenway, has very much woven itself into the fabric of downtown Boston.

But now, the time has come to bid farewell, as the aerial sculpture—always planned as a temporary installation—is set to be dismantled on October 25. With about two weeks to go until that moment, the Greenway has released a video, filmed with drone technology, of the sculpture’s time in Boston.

Filmed by Somerville-based studio Above Summit, the video, seen above, replays various events that took under the sculpture over the summer, including scenes from interactive arts festival Figment Boston, architecture and design showcase Design Biennial Boston, and five-day dance extravaganza Let’s Dance Boston, ending with the sculpture dissipating into the background.

At last week’s event featuring a Boston Ballet performance under the sculpture, the Greenway’s executive director Jesse Brackenbury praised Echelman’s work for inspiring interdisciplinary collaborations.

Although “As If It Were Already Here” was site-specifically designed for the Greenway, Brackenbury also pointed out that Echelman’s works do tour—”1.26,” for example is a piece that has been installed in five cities across the world—so it may be possible that the piece could be resurrected elsewhere.

Those already feeling nostalgic for the departing sculpture can revisit its installation in Boston in the following time lapse: