Art | Neon
NEON - Unveils Kinetic Installation Chorus Ventus at Lauritzen Gardens - Omaha - United States
| 2026-03-04 |     |
As part of the major redevelopment of the Children’s Garden at Lauritzen Gardens, the park launched an international open call for a new artwork to serve as a centrepiece at its highest point. The brief called for a piece that would appeal to children, invite interaction, occupy a modest footprint, feel integrated with the garden, and act as an attractor visible from the nearby Route 80 highway.
In the early research stage, NEON studied the tall-grass prairie ecosystem native to central North America. Early explorers described the region as a “sea of grass”, with open horizons and abundant wildflowers rooted in rich soils. Today, less than 4% of that ecosystem remains intact—and less than 2% in Nebraska—though restoration and conservation work is underway in several locations. NEON’s artwork imagines that, as a result of this restoration effort, scientists discovered a fantastical new species, given the Latin name Chorus Ventus— “Dance of the Wind”.
Chorus Ventus comprises 151 curved steel tubes, each supporting a flexible GRP rod tipped with a coloured bell. Radially arranged in rows and scaled to suggest a single organic organism emerging from the ground, the elements form a rhythmic, cohesive field. Colour further reinforces the naturalistic reading: the steel elements shift in a gradient from pink at the centre to green at the outer edges. As with several previous NEON artworks, Chorus Ventus combines natural forces with human interaction. The flexible rods and bells create a subtle soundscape activated by passing wind or by visitors gently vibrating the components at ground level.
Design and materiality
One of the key challenges of the project was developing an artwork that would be playful and engaging for young visitors, while also engineered to remain permanently in place through Nebraska’s extreme climate, which includes hot summers, cold winters, and the potential for tornados. The structure is anchored below ground by a bespoke two-layer baseplate that secures each curved stainless-steel tube. Above ground, the tubes are finished with a durable powder coating, while the flexible GRP rods are fully pigmented and protected with a UV-stable coating, giving them an anticipated service life of 30–50 years with minimal maintenance. Each bell and rod has been detailed to be easily interchangeable in situ using a simple grub-screw fixing, allowing components to be replaced quickly, if required, and ensuring the long-term resilience of the artwork.
Public experience
Chorus Ventus is positioned at the highest point of the gardens, purposefully oriented away from much of the site so visitors first encounter only brief, shifting glimpses of colour and movement. This distant visibility creates an early sense of curiosity that draws people toward the lookout point. The approach is via a long spiral ramp bordered by planting chosen to complement the sculpture, allowing the artwork to be gradually revealed as visitors ascend — a sequence designed to evoke the quiet pleasure of discovery.
At the top, seating integrated by the landscape architects provides a calm, elevated place to pause, away from the more active areas of the Children’s Garden. From here, visitors can observe the subtle movement and sound produced by the rods in the wind, set against views of the Missouri River in the valley below. After dark, RGB lighting integrated into the base gives the artwork a luminous presence, allowing it to stand out gently against the surrounding landscape.
"Working on this project allowed us to explore the tall-grass prairies of North America and the important efforts being made to restore them," says NEON's Mark Nixon. "These issues can sometimes feel remote, so our hope is that Chorus Ventus offers both a playful moment for visitors and a subtle invitation to engage with the ecology that shaped it."
About Lauritzen Gardens
Lauritzen Gardens is a 100-acre botanical garden in Omaha, Nebraska, dedicated to horticultural display, conservation, and education. Set along the Missouri River, the garden offers a series of immersive landscapes—ranging from formal gardens and woodland trails, to seasonal displays and themed environments—designed to connect visitors with the region’s natural heritage. As a major cultural destination for the city, Lauritzen Gardens combines botanical collections with art, architecture, and public programming, creating a place where families, learners, and nature enthusiasts can explore, relax, and engage with the changing rhythms of the landscape.
About the Children’s Garden
The Children’s Garden at Lauritzen Gardens is a dedicated landscape designed to encourage exploration, play, and learning within a botanical setting. It brings together interactive features, themed planting, and hands-on elements that introduce young visitors to the natural world. The garden includes water-play zones, sculptural features, climbing structures, and seasonal planting, creating an environment that blends education with imagination.
About NEON
NEON is a UK-based artistic practice exploring the territory between art, architecture, and design. Led by architect Mark Nixon and visual artist Viliina Koivisto, the studio creates projects that aim to enrich everyday experience through sensory, spatial, and environmental awareness. NEON develops responses to unique sites around the world, drawing out qualities they find particular to each context. As a result, the studio’s work shifts in method and appearance, but always centres on creating meaningful experiences for the public.
Photo credit: Tom Kessler