« twilight epiphany... »

Who wants to make a visit to Texas to see this LED light installation by James Turrell and Thomas Phifer and Partners at Rice University with me?!? Interacting with the changing colors of the rising and setting sun, a 14'x14' cut out in the middle of the massive screen creates a viewing portal of the sky, juxtaposing the two colors (and clouds) in what can only be an amazing show. Check out the video below to see some clips and read more about the concept from design boom:

in the morning, the light show begins forty minutes before the first glimpse of sunlight, where in the evening, the display begins with the slow disappearance of the sun's glow. 'twilight epiphany' joins in with the natural movement of light in its color alteration upon the building's ceiling, which may be viewed from both in and outdoors and in a variety of weather conditions. the color of the sky will be complimented by those pictured upon the underside of the structure's roof, though the most powerful views are said to be seen only from the interior of the space, as the brightening sky is famed by the brilliant shifting of shades belonging to 'twilight epiphany'. during the hours of daylight, the structure remains open to the public so that visitors may wander through the central space of the installation, closing only for the night.

'twilight epiphany' is planted as a 12-foot-high and 72 x 72 foot white roof parallel to the grass berm just below which steeply rises from the flattened stretch of green near the university's school of music. viewing areas have been built into both the upper and lower segments of the structure, offering a perspective from both locations which pictures the sky through a 14 x 14 foot opening in the square roof's central space. the roof of the skyspace is formed 'from engineered materials with a carbon-steel knife edge', says the university. while the lower seating area is crafted from pink and grey texas granite from mable falls, seating belonging to the upper segment is a poured-concrete bench system.

-design boom