mirroring steel shards by gregory orekhov float across central park's water surface

Gregory Orekhov Projects Steel Shards of Dreams on Water

Steel Shards is a conceptual visualization of a large-scale installation by artist Gregory Orekhov. The project consists of composite panels with mirror-polished stainless steel surfaces, arranged in a non-uniform composition on a water surface. The design explores themes of rupture and restoration, reflecting narratives of migration and adaptation while integrating into the cultural landscape of New York’s Central Park.

Public art installations often require extensive planning and approval processes. Steel Shards follows this trajectory, drawing parallels with projects such as Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s ‘The Gates,’ which took decades to be realized. The installation proposes a reflective surface that interacts with its surroundings, capturing sky, clouds, and city silhouettes. The fragmented reflections on the polished steel create a shifting visual experience, where forms appear to break apart and reassemble, emphasizing both instability and cohesion.

all images by ©Nikita Subbotin | conceptual visualization by ©Gregory Orekhov

mirror-polished stainless steel panels reflect their surroundings

Artist Gregory Orekhov’s conceptual work references the intersection of different histories within an urban space. New York, as a site of diverse cultural and personal trajectories, provides a backdrop for exploring themes of displacement and adaptation. The fragmented steel forms symbolize connections emerging from separation, creating a dynamic relationship between material, reflection, and site context.

Steel Shards presents a conceptual large-scale installation by Gregory Orekhov

composite panels with mirror-polished stainless steel reflect their surroundings

fragmented reflections emphasize both instability and cohesion

Steel Shards interacts dynamically with its environment through light and movement

the fragmented forms symbolize connections emerging from separation

the polished steel absorbs and transforms its surroundings

the installation balances material presence with site-specific integration

the work reconfigures the perception of space through reflective materiality

project info:

name: Steel Shards
artist: Gregory Orekhov | @gregory.orekhov 

location: Central Park, New York

photographer: Nikita Subbotin | @studiolandon

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom