Client: Arlington Public Art

Overview

Marking each of the four corners of the Esplanade Bridge over I-66, these monumental sculptures create a memorable entry into Arlington County. The 26-foot high illuminated sculptures, called Luminous Bodies, consist of formed stainless-steel rods intersecting to define both exterior and interior surfaces and volumes. The structures respond to the formal stone and bronze monuments that bookend Rosslyn, lending a fresh perspective with their transparent vessels filled with sunlight during the day and color changing LED light at night. The 45-minute light show cycles continuously, beginning two hours before dusk and ending at 2:00 a.m.

This Esplanade Bridge installation is the second phase of Cliff Garten’s Corridor of Light, which when complete will result in artwork marking three major entryways into Arlington, VA. Installed in 2018, the first major artwork of the series is Gravity and Grace, a site-specific large-scale LED public artwork integrated into the architecture of Central Place Plaza.

Goals

To define place and anchor the surrounding monumental core of Washington, D.C.