Interactive Light Sculptures

“Light is the silent universal expression of the greatest force our senses can grasp… The artist must mold it by optical means, almost as a sculptor models clay.” – Thomas Wilfred (1889-1968)

These Interactive Light Sculptures were created without the use of computers, programs, or animation. Like my Skywalls, they invite you to connect with light in completely new ways. What you see is simply light seeing light. What you experience is light unlike anything you’ve ever known light to be— as a living thing.

This is a uniquely pure art form, in that I simply sculpt and paint with the light itself. I work slowly and carefully, spending hours fine-tuning it with a few lenses. It often reacts like watery paint that needs to be harnessed and controled as it pours across the canvas. Different approaches create different hues, forms, and textures.

The final forms differ, each expressing their own unique quality. Some appear calm and quiet, beckoning you to slow down and be still as if you are in a sacred space. Then there are those you can’t help but interact with. Like a color storm swirling around an ethereal planet, a rippling puddle of color, or a light fountain that is endlessly streaming and inviting you to take a dip. These particular pieces offer you the unique opportunity to physically connect with the light. You can actually sense the color flowing through your fingers and around you as you move into the light. Some of them even give you the freedom to wield a specific secondary light source to connect with the sculptures in ways your body can’t.

Then there are the Living Color Fields. They are still and quiet with no movement, Color Fields of pure light. There is plenty to take in as you reflect on the suspended standing waves of light floating on the wall. But you will find yourself startled out of this contemplation if your curiosity tempts you to reach into the light. The moment it senses your hand a sudden bright white glow leaps out from the center of the piece. Confusingly, it responds to your touch without any kind of programming or use of AI, as if it is somehow conscious of your presence. It bursts forth like a star waiting to be born, only to surprisingly and sheepishly tuck itself back into the Color Field once you step away. It’s in a moment like this that you begin to feel as if these pieces posses a life of their own, as if they are communicating or perhaps playing with you. I have begun the conversation, now you are invited in.

DWH

(Interactive Light Sculptures are available for permanent and temporary installation within galleries that can support their specific requirements. They are site-specific and unique to each location. For more information, please contact us below.)