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92 a communal project that makes its North American debut at PEM. Awaiting visitors are mounds of clay and a large oval table with 24 stools. We are invited to gather a lump of clay, take a seat, knead the clay into a ball, and roll it toward the table's center. It's deceptively simple—time sort of stops, your heart rate slows—and yet it's completely profound. Along with thousands of other visitors, we collectively create an archive of our emptying minds. "There is a mesmerizing quality to the work as you watch it slowly build and see individual gestures accumulate into something large and powerful," says PEM's curator of the present tense, Trevor Smith. "It reminds us of human potential and shows us the importance of slowing down and paying attention." As you exit the world of Kimsooja, you en- ter an intimate but mighty installation called Powerful Figures—sculptures from around the world embodying the concept of power, as both a fundamental social dynamic and an expression of our innate wiring to respond to figures and faces. Through the use of dramatic red lighting and curved metal niches, your gaze is guided to confront eight different sculptures that embody human power, and you are encouraged to consider your own. Moving along, you'll step into the brand- new wing—soaring three stories high—that gives you a fresh vantage on East India Marine Hall, the museum's founding structure, where it all began. In the new atrium, your eye immediately goes to the most powerful figure of all: K . Considered a living god by many Native Hawaiians, this carving that came to PEM in 1846 is one of only three such temple images left in the world. With his powerful spiritual presence embodying male energy, prosperity, and warfare, K was installed in the new wing with the help of native Hawaiian cultural practitioners, who led a breathtaking blessing of chants and offerings. You'll see K prominently installed on a sky bridge, where he can experience the shifting lift of the day and gaze westward, back toward Hawaii. As you turn to the west in the new atrium, head toward PEM's new garden, which invites us to contemplate nature and our role in it. Follow the granite ribbon out of the building, where species native to both North America and Asia await, as well as two gurgling foun- tains and a place to rest, reflect, and recharge. Next, go into the third-floor Fashion & Design Gallery and discover more than 200 fashion, industrial, and decorative works from PEM's global collections. This gallery explores how we have creatively responded to our changing world over the last several centuries and suggests how we might design for our future. While fashion and design are typically Clockwise from top left: The new garden, Kū is visible when you walk in, Ceremonial install of Kū (Kūkā'ilimoku) in the new wing. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Kathy Tarantola; The new double atrium, © Peabody Essex Museum. Rendering by Ennead Architects; Alison Saar, Weight, 2012. Museum Purchase. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography Courtesy of L.A. Louver Gallery part of Powerful Figures.