In both these shows, linear rooms are enlivened with installations of organic delicacy. “Hover,” at the Henry, consists of a pair of installations by Pae White and Polly Apfelbaum, and “Degrees of Appearance” is Katy Stone’s site-specific installation at Suyama Space. Using fragile materials in distinct ways, each of these three artists captures the sensory bounty and ordered chaos of the natural world. White’s Grotto (seen above, right), a mobile composed of myriad colorful paper discs, shivers and sways so softly it seems the surrounding air is breathing. Apfelbaum’s Flying Hearts (above, left), idiosyncratic and compulsive, is made of fuzzy, dyed velvet strips resting on the hardwood floor, where they seem like they might crawl away like a mass of caterpillars. At Suyama, Stone’s work creates a similar sense of movement, with an accumulation of directional marks. Her five monumental pieces, ephemeral layers of acrylic on acetate, spill from the gallery wallsWhite Root‘s painted tendrils falling like a gown, Waterfall‘s cool, elongated droplets pooling onto the floor. The literal lightness of these installations raises metaphorical issues of weight. At its best, these pieces express the fragility of life with the persuasive strength of beauty. Henry Art Gallery, UW campus, 206-543-2280. Ends Sun. Dec. 28. Suyama Space, 2324 Second Ave., 206-256-0809. Ends Fri. Jan. 9. ELISE RICHMAN

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