In the heart of San Francisco’s Mission Bay, a stunning new piece of public art is redefining the intersection of technology, design, and the urban environment. Named Orbital , this monumental, 34-foot-tall sculpture is the creation of the acclaimed Bay Area-based art and design studio FUTUREFORMS, led by co-founders Jason Kelly Johnson and Nataly Gattegno. Originally commissioned for the entrance plaza of the Uber Headquarters, the site is now occupied by OpenAI, making Orbital a truly modern landmark that anchors a high-tech corner of the city.
The sculpture’s design is a deeply considered response to the surrounding architecture and public sphere. Conceived as a contemporary garden folly , the dynamic, coiled form of Orbital suggests a “Creature of the Garden,” seemingly emerging directly from the ground to bridge the digital realm with the organic. This dualistic aesthetic is intentional, evoking both natural systems and the powerful, awe-inspiring scale of a giant robot or a futuristic space vehicle.
Orbital’s material and conceptual core lies in the mastery of digital craft. FUTUREFORMS transformed curves that were first “born in code” into a tangible, structured form. This process treats computation as a language and fabrication as a form of authorship, continuing the studio’s lineage of inquiry that shapes algorithms into architecture. The result is a sculptural form that is both engineered, expressive, and wholly new.
Composed of thousands of custom stainless steel and aluminum elements , the sheer complexity of Orbital is built from an intricate assembly of digitally crafted, bespoke parts. Its powerful structure achieves a critical balance of strength and delicacy, merging engineering precision with sculptural grace. Each of the sculpture’s three legs rises from a slender column, twisting upward in a fluid motion that purposefully blurs the line between the structure’s interior and exterior.
The experience of the sculpture unfolds in two distinct and compelling ways for visitors. From the exterior, Orbital serves as an Urban Icon. It is wrapped in a highly reflective skin of tessellated, marine-grade stainless steel , creating an unmistakable visual identity that draws the eye from a distance. By day, the faceted, luminous surface and monumental scale establish it as a prominent San Francisco landmark. The exterior skin is also cloaked in a constellation of fine perforations.
Stepping beneath the three coiled legs, visitors enter the interior, which transforms into an Intimate Sanctuary. Here, the surface shifts to a tactile, patterned color field composed of aluminum shingles. This provides an intimate space where visitors feel grounded, almost as if they are inside a contemporary, metallic “Creature of the Garden”. By night, these layers work in tandem to transform the sculpture into a lantern of diffused light, casting an ethereal glow that establishes Orbital as a memorable beacon by night. Built from durable marine-grade stainless steel and aluminum for longevity in the Bay Area’s high-moisture environment, Orbital is a cultural asset that showcases FUTUREFORMS’commitment to durable and captivating public art.