Membrane microclimate in squid capsule

Visitors to the outdoor courtyard of Materials & Applications, a Los Angeles nonprofit research and exhibition center for public space, encountered fair weather in the cloudlike apparition called Squid Capsule. Created by L.A. design firm Layer, the Squid Capsule consisted of 40 transparent vinyl membranes hanging like tentacles.

A cloud of fog covered the installation, creating small weather systems that visitors could experience. The installation, in place from 19 June to 23 Sept., demonstrated climate change as the membranes isolate and amplify shifts in Los Angeles’ summer climate.