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Phillip K. Smith III — Detroit Skybridge
Phillip K. Smith III — Detroit Skybridge
Phillip K. Smith III

Detroit Skybridge

2018

Detroit Skybridge is a monumental light installation spanning the pedestrian bridge connecting the Guardian Building and One Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit. Executed in acrylic, aluminum, and programmable LED components, the work transforms the architectural structure through a continuously evolving color choreography that shifts across the visible spectrum over time. Smith's intervention animates the 1976 bridge with dynamic light sequences that respond to and reshape perception of the urban landscape, inviting viewers to experience the passage of time made visible through color. The installation exemplifies the artist's practice of using programmed light to create phenomenological experiences within architectural contexts, turning a functional passage into a site of temporal and perceptual inquiry.

Medium
Acrylic, aluminum, LED lighting, electronic components, unique color program
Dimensions
Location
Guardian Building, Detroit, MI

Notes

Permanent public installation linking the Guardian Building and One Woodward Avenue, Detroit. Original bridge by Gino Rossetti (1976). Photo: Lance Gerber.

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About this work

Phillip K. Smith III, Detroit Skybridge, 2018

Detroit Skybridge is a monumental light installation spanning the pedestrian bridge connecting the Guardian Building and One Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit. Executed in acrylic, aluminum, and programmable LED components, the work transforms the architectural structure through a continuously evolving color choreography that shifts across the visible spectrum over time. Smith's intervention animates the 1976 bridge with dynamic light sequences that respond to and reshape perception of the urban landscape, inviting viewers to experience the passage of time made visible through color. The installation exemplifies the artist's practice of using programmed light to create phenomenological experiences within architectural contexts, turning a functional passage into a site of temporal and perceptual inquiry.

Medium
Acrylic, aluminum, LED lighting, electronic components, unique color program
Dimensions
335 x 3048 x 366 cm
Year
2018
Seen at
Guardian Building, Detroit, MI

Related themes

Reflection, Light Installation, Detroit, Perception, Public Art, Temporal Art, LED Sculpture, Landscape, Exterior Sculpture, Programmed Light, Urban Installation, Time Based, Phenomenology, Electronic Art, Color Choreography, Dynamic Color, Architectural Intervention, Geometry, Permanent Installation, Contemporary American

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Collected by

Alex Capecelatro, Jonathan Murray, Mihail Lari