The international team of Mario Madayag (Washington), Michael Parekowhai (New Zealand), and Paul Deeb (Arizona) created a work inspired by the vivid blue of the Arizona sky and the ancient role of water in shaping the desert for the new PHX Sky Train 44th St. Station Ground Floor Atrium. The name Blue Stratus refers to a low altitude cloud that forms a continuous horizontal layer. The ceiling was made with 6,610 uniquely shaped aluminum reflector panels. To heighten their atmospheric effects, they were painted six shades of blue and designed to move in the breeze. The team programmed the lights above the ceiling to create a slowly changing tableau of rich color. Deeb and a small crew hand-crafted the ceiling on site, cutting and attaching the aluminum reflector panels to a steel grid fabricated by CAID Industries in Tucson.