Client: Chapman University

Overview

Chapman University wanted a signature artwork for their new Institute of Science & Technology. I created an Illuminated painting on laminated glass, 12' x 30', 2-sided, translucent, with 5 image layers. Two different LED lighting systems rotate through five colors. The lighting was programmed to sync with the sunrise every morning. Lighting from both sides infuses the artwork, which glows with the forms and rhythms of the living universe.

Goals

The client's goal was to have a signature artwork for the lobby that resonated with all branches of science and inspired the 1,000 scientists and technologists who view it every day. The artist's goal was to celebrate the ecstatic energy of the life-force in action while referencing the ongoing threat to planetary ecosystems. Both goals were achieved.

Process

Bynum Studio worked with the architect, a top lighting designer, glass printers, glaziers, photographers and digital specialists to photograph a painting super high-resolution . . . print that enlarged image onto 14 sections of glass (7,000 lbs.) containing 5 layers of imagery . . . and light it from both sides without the lighting feeling intrusive.

Additional Information

This art is very generous -- it contains over 1,000 separate biomorphic forms, all different. You could look at it hundreds of times and still see something new each time. The syncing of the light to the sunrise helps stabilize the body's circadian rhythms.