A monumental aerial sculpture created by Echelman Studio has been suspended over Boston’s Rose Kennedy Greenway, bringing art to the city's skies.

Commissioned by The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, As If It Were Already Here is the signature contemporary art installation in the Greenway Conservancy’s Public Art Program, running from May until October.

Made out of 100 miles of twine, the sculpture soars 600ft (183m) in the air, spanning the void where an elevated highway once split downtown from its waterfront.

Echoing the history of the location, the sculpture recalls the “Tri-Mountain” which was razed in the 18th century to create land from the harbour. The coloured banding is a nod to the six traffic lanes, which once overwhelmed the neighbourhood before the space was reclaimed for urban pedestrian life.

The sculpture was made by hand splicing rope and knotting twine into an interconnected mesh of more than a half million nodes. When any element moves, another is affected and the structure fluidly responds to the wind and weather.

The fibres are stronger than steel, but lightweight, enabling the sculpture to lace between the skyscrapers and provide a soft contrast to the hard-edged architecture.

In daylight, it blends with the sky and casts shadow drawings on the ground. At night it becomes an illuminated beacon.

“Here in Boston, I’m excited to visually knit together the fabric of the city with art,” says Echelman. “The creation of the Greenway was a seminal event in the unfolding of our city, so I’m delighted and humbled to be a part of its transformation into a vibrant cultural destination.”