





Client: Texas Tech University
Location: Lubbock, TX, United States
Completion date: 2014
Artwork budget: $485,000
Project Team
Artist
Joe O'Connell
Creative Machines
Artist
Creative Machines
Creative Machines

Overview
Texas Rising is a three-dimensional exploration of a five-pointed star. It consists of six sculptures that show a single geometric form (a stellated dodecahedron) in different stages of development and rising out of the ground. The fully expressed version of this form depicts the Texas lone star from different viewing angles and is located in the center of the oval adjoining the green. Here it assumes a truly monumental 18 feet in height. The series of sculptures show the star form emerging and evolving towards its fullest expression.
Goals
At night, intense point-source LED lighting casts intricate shadows around a much larger space than the sculptures themselves occupy. The projection of distinct images alludes to a strong core achieving influence beyond its physical boundaries. We hope students will take inspiration from this idea of projection when they see the sculptures create large swaths of intensely patterned light around them.