The lobby of the new Biorenewables Research Laboratory received a new art installation last week.

The exhibit is called “Floating World” and, according to artist Ralph Helmick, it is designed to portray the history of agriculture. It consists of 14 layers of aluminum & carbon suspended from the lobby ceiling, each depicting a stage of the progress of agriculture. These include plowing by hand and the advent of windmills and tractors.

Helmick is based out of Newton, Mass., near Boston. “I created a large atrium piece at the federal courthouse in Cedar Rapids about two years ago,” Helmick said. “I’ve been spending time [in Iowa] the last few years.”

Helmick cites three primary inspirations for the work: Japanese wood block prints, the work of Iowan artist Grant Wood and the type of screens used for scenery in live theater.

“I was impressed by the beauty of the campus,” Helmick said regarding what drew him to Iowa State. “I was asked to write a letter of interest for this project, and they selected me to develop and design.”

Lynette Pohlman, director of University Museums, said there are “many narratives and stories in the mural” and that it shows the farming heritage of many students.

“It’s important that students come to an understanding of what each layer of that sculpture means,” Pohlman said. Her hope for the piece is that “people will explore 150 years” of agricultural development.

The pieces that make up the final work were steel-laser cut by JunoWorks — a company in Denver — with owner Mike Mancarella acting as the project’s overseer and “chief collaborator.”