Cecil Balmond designing Mesa Arts Center shade sculpture

Shade is a valuable commodity in the desert, especially in summer.

For the Mesa Arts Center, shade can also be a work of art.

The arts complex in downtown Mesa has chosen Cecil Balmond, an internationally acclaimed Sri Lankan-British artist and architect, to design its 21st Century Cafe Society shade sculpture. The work, called "The Cloud," will provide protection from the sun and link the center with downtown's Main Street.

In a creative twist, Balmond will develop his concept to half of the completed design. The rest will fall to the public, who will be asked to submit ideas and feedback to shape the finished work.

"Balmond's design for the shade sculpture ... will create enhanced pedestrian interest, particularly given its location opposite a major new light-rail station and across the street from Mesa's City Hall," said Cindy Ornstein, executive director of Mesa Arts Center and director of arts and culture for the city.

The suspended work will mesh with the center's modern aesthetic and have three main components. The same durable fabric used in the complex's existing shade sails will be used. Large glass disks on the top of the structure will be covered in a special film that emits colorful effects when light shines from above or below. And the columns will stand at an angle, creating a trapezoid shape, instead of upright.

"The aim of the sculpture is to surprise and inspire, in addition to providing a cool place to take cover and for visitors to meet and collaborate," Balmond said.

The shade sculpture is part of the center's effort to expand and enhance North Plaza. It's also part of the 21st Century Cafe Society project, supported by the ArtPlace America Grant, which includes the center's outdoor Alliance Pavilion Stage.

Balmond, who runs his own studio in London and offices all over the world, was one of three finalists for the project.

His works include the light sculpture "Snow Words" in Anchorage, Alaska, named one of the best public works of 2013 by Americans for the Arts. He also created the Serpentine Gallery and ArcelorMittal Orbit, both in London. He is working on the "Star of Caledonia" sculpture near the border of England and Scotland. It will be completed next year.

He also is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design.