Jeffrey Gibson, Nephelococcygia (Cloud Cuckoo Land), 2012, ink on paper monotypes and acrylic, PS 264, Brooklyn

Nephelococcygia, or Cloud Cuckoo Land, is a mural installation by Jeffrey Gibson located in the double-height atrium of the school library. The title of the artwork originates from Aristophanes’ comedic play The Birds in which two characters persuade the world’s birds to create a perfect city in the sky (Cloud Cuckoo Land). The term “nephelococcygia” is defined more commonly today as the act of seeing and finding shapes in clouds.

The mural is made up of nearly 1500 triangular paper tiles and painterly forms floating on top resembling cloud formations or ink blots. The artist carefully designed the hand-printed tiles to fit together to create different colored geometric patterns covering the entire ceiling and upper walls of the atrium. In contrast to the hard-edged lines of the tiles are lush poured paint formations that appear in select areas within the space. The interaction between geometric and organic forms seen here is a theme throughout the artist’s work that explores how image and abstraction work together. The piece also references the relationship between the industrial and the man-made. The graphic quality of the mural suggests it was digitally or commercially produced. However, closer inspection reveals subtle variations in texture and color - deliberate gestures by the artist emphasizing the hand-made nature of the artwork.