The leaf-like forms of Joseph Bailey's Gift of the Winds consist of mirror-polished steel around a core of manganese bronze. On two of the surfaces, curving shapes that suggest natural forms such as roots or tendrils are cut into the steel to reveal the bronze beneath, and the central "leaf" is positioned so that it reflects these images on both sides. In this work, commissioned for the entrance of a bank building as part of the Redevelopment Authority's 1% program, Bailey wanted to link the geometry of the architecture with the park-like setting of nearby Independence Mall; thus he used hard-edged metal forms to suggest organic shapes. Trees were planted close to the sculpture so that the leaves would reflect in the steel surfaces. People approaching on the sidewalk can see themselves reflected as well.

Adapted from Public Art in Philadelphia by Penny Balkin Bach (Temple University Press, Philadelphia, 1992).