Flat Portal 2
Flat Portal 2 is a monumental circular light installation composed of nested fiberglass rings painted with automotive finishes and embedded with programmable LED lighting systems. The work presents a mesmerizing portal of geometric depth, its concentric circles creating an illusion of recession into the wall plane. Rather than static color, the piece executes an evolving chromatic choreography, shifting through programmed sequences that transform perception across time. Sited within an interior gallery context, the installation engages fundamental questions about light, color perception, and phenomenological experience, inviting viewers to witness how digital control systems can animate architectural surfaces into living, breathing visual phenomena.
- Medium
- Fiberglass, automotive paint, LED lighting, electronic components, unique color choreography
- Spotted At
- Studio · Phillip K. Smith III Studio
Notes
From the Flat Portals series (begun 2020). Photo: Lance Gerber.
Collectors of Phillip K. Smith III
Also spotted by
Artists in conversation
James Turrell
American · b. 1943
Turrell similarly uses light as a primary sculptural medium in site specific desert environments, creating immersive perceptual experiences that blur the boundaries between natural and artificial illumination.
Ólafur Elíasson
Danish Icelandic · b. 1967
Eliasson creates large scale installations using light, mirrors, and reflective surfaces to engage viewers with natural phenomena, sharing Smith's interest in transforming architectural and landscape environments through precisely orchestrated sensory interventions.
Doug Wheeler
American · b. 1939
Wheeler is a core figure in the Light and Space movement whose immersive environments using diffused light and minimalist forms closely parallel Smith's exploration of perception, luminosity, and spatial transformation.
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