Today I want to introduce you to Leo Villareal. But first, let me set the stage. You’re at the The National Gallery of Art and you realize that there are two buildings as part of the museum: the East and the West. Now you can enter these buildings by using the doors on the street. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can enter one of the buildings and make your way downstairs to the tunnel that connects the two.
And that is where you first see it – and become completely mesmerized.
The first thing you notice is a sign at the top of the tunnel that directs you to the other building.
On one side of the long tunnel is a pathway for you to use.
And on the other side is the moving walkway.
But it’s not like any moving walkway that you’ve ever known. For one thing, it bounces. You feel like you’re walking on something cushiony and springy, almost like a trampoline.
And the second difference, which is rather obvious from these pictures, is the wall of lights surrounding the walkway. (These shots were taken sequentially so you can see how the light changes and moves.)
One minute it’s almost completely dark and seconds later, the entire corridor is glowing with light.
Walking on the walkway and looking at the lights surrounding you is a surreal experience. (See Exhibit A: The CPA)
Exhibit A
or Exhibit B
What people may not realize is that this experience is actually part of a work of art, created by light sculptor Leo Villareal. The Museum commissioned Villareal to create this piece, which is his largest work to date, and it was put in place in September of 2008. The bad news? It will remain here until September 2009, which means you have only a few months to see it before it’s gone.
What is it made of, you ask? Well, it uses 41,000 computer-programmed LED (light emitting diode) nodes.
They run virtually the entire length of the tunnel, which is roughly 200 feet.
The light changes patterns because a custom-designed software programs the various light sequences. But even though the sequences are programmed, there is an element of chance to how they appear, so the likelihood of the same pattern repeating itself is very slim.
The artist, Leo Villareal, is making quite a name for himself and his work can be seen as far away as Seoul, Korea and Madrid, Spain. He also has had several pieces featured here in the United States in places like New York, Kansas, and California.
So if you have a chance to check out his work, I definitely recommend it. Trust me, it will be a surreal experience.
Have you seen any of Villareal’s work or something like it?
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Washington DC National Gallery of Art
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