Future Projections’ new imaginative and immersive public art installation, commissioned by the Minnesota State Fair, is Canopy/Calliope – a fantasia of imagery and sound designed to delight and enchant the senses, located in an unexpected and unassuming greenspace behind the State Fair Grandstand.
Step onto the greenspace and beneath the beautiful overhanging trees, walk through or even lie down and spend time being transported to a different world as the imagery and sounds of an old-tyme calliope give way to a cornucopia of flora and fauna, celebrating the joys and magic of a summer’s night. Organ pipes pulse and bounce to carnival rhythms, while showers of fish, flowers, and fantastical creatures light up the grounds below and the leafy canopy above.
Calliope is the beautiful voiced Greek Muse who presides over music, song, and dance, but also the goofy, clunky 19th century steam powered carnival instrument, with pulsing pipes, whistles, and drums. The purpose of the installation is simply to add joy, wonder, and magic for Minnesotans at the annual State Fair!