Emily Fussner: Some Shining Coil of Wind
Emily Fussner’s *Some Shining Coil of Wind* is a site-specific installation at MoCA Arlington that considers place, resilience, fragility, and fleeting experiences. The work brings together paper-pulp sculptures, video, sound, and a floor covering to create an immersive environment shaped by light, shadow, wind, and the changing seasons. Its title comes from a line in Mary Oliver’s poem “Where Does the Temple Begin, Where Does It End?”
Visitors encounter projected scenes of sunlight filtering through trees and windows, layered with whispers of wind and the sounds of urban life. Reflective mylar catches and redirects light, including the shadow of a tree traced across the gallery floor. Several suspended paper sculptures were cast from cracks in asphalt, scattering shadows across the walls. These forms evoke fractures that widen and are later paved over, connecting ideas of damage, care, and repair with Fussner’s experience of living with a brittle bone condition. The installation places the landscape and the body in conversation, encouraging viewers to slow down and notice overlooked moments of beauty and change.
When: October 3, 2026, through January 24, 2027
Showtimes: The galleries are open Wednesday through Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., or by appointment.
Tickets: Price not available
Venue: Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington, 3550 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201
Artist: Emily Fussner, MoCA Arlington Resident Artist
Mediums: Paper-pulp sculpture, video, sound, reflective mylar, and a floor covering
About the artist: Fussner is a multidisciplinary artist whose work examines transient and peripheral patterns in everyday environments, along with themes of presence, fragility, strength, perception, and care. She has presented solo exhibitions in the Washington, DC, and Virginia region, created public installations for Georgetown Glow and the Foggy Bottom Outdoor Sculpture Biennial, and participated in exhibitions throughout the DC area and elsewhere. She earned an MFA in Visual Arts from George Mason University in 2019, received a Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Graduate Fellowship, and completed a GlogauAIR summer residency through American University’s MFA Studio Berlin program. She grew up in Indonesia, Indiana, and New Zealand and now lives in Northern Virginia.
Visit information: The museum can be reached by Metro via the Orange and Silver lines at Virginia Square Station. Metrobus A76 and ART Line 41 also serve the area.
Contact: (703) 248-6800