Landmarks Announces New Installation To Serve as a Student Gathering Space
“Floating Landscape” by artist Maya Lin will be embedded with lights that correspond to the stars on the night of the University’s founding in 1883.
Rendering of “Floating Landscape.” Courtesy of Maya Lin Studio, 2026.
Landmarks, the public art program of The University of Texas at Austin, announces a major new work by Maya Lin. Titled “Floating Landscape,” the 3,600-square-foot installation will be a blend of sculpture, architecture and ecological design, featuring a semi-elevated, complex curved concrete structure with a central opening. At night, it will glow with embedded LEDs that correspond to the constellations in the Texas sky on Sept. 15, 1883 — the date of UT’s founding.
Lin is known for her groundbreaking, large-scale environmental artworks that establish unique connections to the land. Her installation for Landmarks will be sited on the grounds of the Autry C. Stephens Engineering Discovery Building, a new facility designed by CO Architects for the Cockrell School of Engineering. “Floating Landscape” will be Lin’s first work of public art in Texas and first commission in the state. Her previous work includes the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. and the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama.
This celestial reference reflects Lin’s longstanding interest in connecting natural systems with civic identity and cultural memory. Accessible to all, the project will serve as a new public commons for the University, inviting students, faculty members and campus visitors to walk and gather on the site. This new artwork was graciously supported by Cockrell School of Engineering alumnus Peyton Yates (B.S. and M.S. petroleum engineering 1965 and 1966). Yates has supported public art for decades and said he is proud to help bring this piece to the people of Texas.
“‘Floating Landscape’ reflects the kind of interdisciplinary thinking that defines engineering at UT,” said Roger Bonnecaze, dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering. “The project brings together design, material innovation, environmental awareness and public engagement in a way that will inspire our students for years to come.”
“Floating Landscape” will be embedded within a restored meadow designed by Lin in collaboration with Lionheart Places and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The surrounding landscape will feature native grasses and herbaceous plants selected for long-term ecological health and seasonal durability. The site also supports the ongoing ecological restoration of Waller Creek in Austin, demonstrating how public art, environmental stewardship and historical commemoration can converge within a campus setting.
“Few artists have shaped the American public imagination as profoundly as Maya Lin,” said Andrée Bober, founding director and curator of Landmarks. “What moves me most about ‘Floating Landscape’ is the way it invites people to inhabit the work rather than simply observe it. It functions as civic infrastructure, creating a place that is sculpture, habitat, observatory and public commons all at once.”
“Much of my work begins with the landscape and the experience of moving through space,” said Lin. “This project grew out of the ecology of the site and the openness of the Texas sky, creating a gathering place within the daily life of the University.”
Landmarks will celebrate the opening of the project in April 2027, hosting a public conversation between Lin and alumna Jana La Brasca, an art historian and curatorial contributor for the project. Additional details will be available in the coming months.
Read the full news release on the Landmarks website.
