When Smoke Rises

Rising vertically within the entry rotunda of the Franklin Street entrance, the artwork appears first as a whisp of smoke drifting upward to form the ephemeral image of a billowing sail, recalling the countless stories that have unfolded here and alluding to those that are still to be written. Playing off both the natural and alchemical qualities of water and smoke, it reminds us of the temporal nature of dreams and the miraculous power they can have to build our hopes, turn them into our realities and chart future courses yet to come.

For thousands of years, inhabitants of the Tampa area have relied on the sea. From the earliest Native tribes to the Spanish explorers to the early Cuban immigrants and American colonies, these waters have provided the access and resources necessary for its growth and economic development. Believed by some to mean "sticks of fire" in the language of the native Calusa tribe, the name Tampa has since become indelibly linked to the cigar industry and together these influences helped drive the city’s growth and shaped the distinctive blend of cultures and personalities that define it today.

The stainless steel sculpture measures 38’ 8" w x 62’ h x 15’ 2" d.

Kipp Kobayashi is an artist interested in the traces of human activity and how they transform the structures and systems of our physical world into living entities of our collective thoughts, action and experiences. His work stems from his background growing up as an Asian American which has led to a lifelong interest in deconstructing our preconceived notions of who we are and what we are; breaking them down into the most basic elements of human and natural factors to better understand the unique sets of combinations and patterns that define a more nuanced interpretation of identity and cultural belonging.

Kobayashi has been commissioned by organizations and agencies across the nation including the Getty Museum, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the Bay Area Rapid Transit District, the Baltimore Red Line, Sound Transit, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority, the Washington State Arts Commission, and the Utah Division of Arts & Museums as well as numerous city and private collections. Based in Los Angeles, he received a BA from the University of California at Berkeley and an MFA from the University of Southern California. He has taught extensively at the Cal Poly School of Environmental Design, served as vice-chairman of the Americans for the Arts Public Art Network Advisory Council and is a founding member of the Public Art Exchange, a national peer to peer network dedicated to providing a democratic and open communication platform for the field of public art.