Light Pressure, 2021 (West Gallery) Handmade clear glass canes with mica dust, cut plate glass, LEDs, 3D printed PET, stainless steel, stainless steel wire, computer system, custom programming 18’ high from the ceiling, 3.5’ in diameter at the widest point, 100’ long Fascitelli Center for Advanced Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island Commissioned by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and University of Rhode Island Our site-specific sculpture Light Pressure is informed by the truss bridge structure of the building itself, its geographic positioning over a water table, and the future-forward energy of the creative, collaborative, interdisciplinary nature of engineering. Conceptually we are drawn to the metaphor of the bridge that unites investigation, education, and application. Light Pressure is a visual narrative that conflates mechanical, electrical, and optical phenomena, specifically blending pressure and fluid dynamics with the visuality of collimated light and force fields. Moving left to right, a large gesture of an inverted vapor cone gives way to a linear flow of light encircled with curving glass and planar sheets, referencing both magnetic fields and turbine blades. In this way, the work draws on the lasers and electron beams used in the synthesis of spiky hydrophobic nanostructures, while conjuring the feeling of a jet flying at transonic speeds. Our sculpture aesthetically responds to these ideas and includes the materiality of light. A major part of Light Pressure is employing the dynamic, shifting, and expanding energy flow of light as a wave and a particle with its observable characteristics, including elements of refraction, reflection, interference, and diffraction. Light Pressure is created with individually suspended glass rods in two main forms, including straight rods and curved, twisty cane. The rhythmic layers of glass create varying areas of density and sparsity to form an energetic, gently curving beam as the lens-like ends catch and bend light. Light Pressure is a physically dynamic work, appearing differently depending on the audience’s viewpoint and time of day. Made from clear glass with embedded mica flakes to interrupt and reflect the light, Light Pressure is semi-transparent, sparkling with the changing light of the day. In this way, Light Pressure is a shifting spectacle, while also receding into the architecture to become almost invisible.