Cosmic Perception

Completion: 2023

Location: Science Museum of Virginia, Richmond, VA

Description: Cosmic Perception is envisioned as a conceptual and sculptural counterpoint to the Kugel sphere at the entry plaza of the Museum. While the Kugel sphere is an object in the round to be experienced in the round, Cosmic Perception becomes an object to be looked at from the inside out, as well as the outside in. This evokes the notion that science encompasses a comprehensive exploration of both inner and outer space. Reinforcing that counterpoint, the sculpture gestures towards the sky and space, while the Kugel sphere’s surface etching of continents represents our Earth. In this manner, Cosmic Perception creates a narrative synergy with the Kugel sphere, connecting our current understanding of the Earth with the greater unexplored mysteries of the universe.

An assemblage of stainless steel triangular kaleidoscopic forms, angled outward and upward like a telescope echo the dynamic burst of the Big Bang. Evoking the formal qualities of scientific prisms, the triangular tubes are capped with color-changing dichroic glass while the inner surface is a highly polished mirror finish. The triangular tubes become monumental kaleidoscopes that offer visitors a different view of the museum grounds, the sky, and the natural world around them.

As viewers move around the sculpture and look through different tubes, they encounter beautiful kaleidoscopic views that enable people to see their surroundings in a new way; a poetic metaphor for scientific discovery. The museum, the landscape, moving cars and bikes, pedestrians, and sky become integrated into the sculpture. The work also facilitates social interaction, as viewers see one another through a kaleidoscopic view, the visitor becomes an integral part of the installation and its complex reflections.

Design Optimization/Management: METALAB