“A central ingredient is empty space,” says Mika Obayashi about her gossamer installations of paper and cord. The artist constructs delicate, yet immersive works that hang from the ceiling in precise squares or triangles, their strings hovering just above the floor. Precise and organic, the installations question the relationship between material and space and “can be looked at, in, and through all at once.”

Her works evoke Lenore Tawney’s renowned Cloud series, atmospheric sculptures of innumerable knotted threads. Obayashi is similarly meditative, with projects like “Gospel of Three Dimensions” layering hand-made paper dyed with indigo into a striking gradient. A central cavern allows the viewer to step inside, enveloping them in an ethereal cascade of blue hues.

The artist is currently working toward an MFA in Fibers and Material Studies at Tyler School of Art and Architecture in Philadelphia, where she’s exploring the territory between the familiar and non- in everyday objects. You can follow her latest projects on Instagram.