Cube, Lattice, Sphere, Wave

Nighttime image of sculpture titled Cube.
Year
2015
Artist
Mark Thompson
Media
New media
Sculpture
Material
LED, glass, steel
Collection number
2015-0185
Venue
Art in the street

Description

Glass artist Mark Thompson has created four sculptures along Rideau Street that explore how we perceive colour, light and motion. This art installation conveys a range of symbols and associations: At Waller Street, the energy of downtown glows red in Cube; Further east, in front of the Rideau branch of the Ottawa Public Library, many colours of Lattice represent interconnected knowledge; The values of community, integrity and health radiate from the green Sphere near Cobourg Street; A blue Wave announces the Rideau River and the natural world just beyond Wurtemburg Street.

Strips of glass housed inside each artwork are lit by pre-programmed lights. The lights slowly change colour and intensity causing shifts in perception as we travel around the object. At night, the sculptures transform the streetscape and expand our sensory experience.

Light is paramount to the work of Mark Thompson. He is interested in the way glass refracts light and how the eye perceives it.  Mark Thompson has worked with light using contemporary and traditional studio glass-working techniques for over 30 years.         

Location

Rideau Street