Roxy Paine, Maelstrom (detail), 2009, stainless steel, courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery. © The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Teresa Christiansen

Upon the rooftop of  New York City’s renowned Metropolitan Museum of Art stands an imposing, tree-like sculpture which engages in a silent dialogue with the backdrop of Central Park.

This 130 foot creation constructed entirely from hand-wrought stainless steel has been proclaimed by artist Roxy Paine as both a journey through the forces of nature as well as a metaphor of an uncontrollable mental storm.

“I call these projects ‘Dendroids’ because it is a term which opens up a conceptual framework. These projects have always referred to, and resonated with, not only botanical structures such as trees, but also vascular, neural, and geologic systems, as well as engineered structures. The ‘oid’ part of ‘dendroid’ is important to me as it suggests ‘android’ hybridization and robotization,” Paine remarks.

According to the Met’s curator Anne Strauss, this particular sculpture, entitled Maelstrom, derives inspiration from a Scandinavian word, the same which previously captured the imagination of Edgar Allan Poe in his work, A Descent into the Maelstrom.

In a mere three weeks, the artist, a crane and his team assembled the 80-piece site specific installation, which is one of the largest to have occupied the museum’s roof.

“It was only when the installation took final form, after the 80 pieces (made up of 10,000 components) were hoisted by crane on the roof and welded into place that I was able to look at the work as a completed project. As a champion of Roxy’s work for many years, I felt a mixture of awe, joy, admiration, accomplishment, and anticipation about how the public would see it and respond to it,” curator Strauss recalls.

Drawing hundreds of curious onlookers on a daily basis, Maelstrom is a breathtaking masterpiece of an artist whose work does not disappoint, but rather instills a mysterious connection between our concrete world and the natural one. Captivating those who walk into its chambers, it creates an inextricable link with visitors, drawing them into a boundless journey.

“The refrain from viewers is uniformly positive as they are engaged in the many themes that the work evokes through its superlative craftsmanship and its interactive aspect. Viewers appear awe-inspired by this site-specific installation in dialogue with the magnificent backdrop of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline beyond,” Strauss explains. “It is a magnificent single sculpture, the magnum opus of the artist’s oeuvre and his most ambitious undertaking to date.”

There is no underlying message which Paine sought to convey through the sculpture, leaving viewers free to form their own set of artistic interpretations.

“I believe this sculpture brilliantly addresses the site and scale of the setting. It stokes the imagination, evokes numerous references for viewer engagement, and provides fertile ground for thought, contemplation, and debate. A tour-de-force, it commands the site and scale of the dramatic setting and is a relevant work in our current times and climate,” Strauss concluds.

Maelstrom may be viewed at the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden in New York City’s Museum of Metropolitan Art. Until October 25, 2009