Cycling in Central park past the Metropolitan Museum, I have regularly looked up to see an intriguing sculpture peeking out from the roof and promised myself that it was about time I explored this artistic aerie. There’s something very appealing about enjoying sculpture in an elevated space open to the sky while at the same time overlooking the lushness of the Park and still being in the heart of New York City. My attempt to visit the latest exhibition during ‘The Museum Mile’ festival was washed out ( you can’t go on the roof when it’s raining ) so last week I went on a gloriously hot and dry day.

Tomas Saraceno is the artist and through his work ‘ challenges the boundaries of earthbound living and explores the possibility of utopian airborne habitation, looking to the atmosphere, rather than terra firm, for his inspiration.’ His piece on top of the Met is called ‘Cloud City’ and looks like a giant model of atoms made of mirrors, glass and wires. Some surfaces reflect the residences of Fifth Avenue, while others frame views of the Park or merge into the sky. You can see the artist’s architectural past influencing the design and I couldn’t help but think what an amazing house he must live in.

If you are over ten years old and weigh less than 400 pounds, you are able to climb up into the structure and experience the art and the atmosphere from the inside. While I qualified physically, the wait on a pass that allowed 15 minutes of viewing was more than two hours, which I had the partiality but not the patience for. So that shall be for another day. In the meanwhile I will renew my membership for the Cloud Appreciation Society and be grateful for the magnificent opportunity that my own garden provides…