Joyce Crain
Atmosphere, 2007
Dichroic acrylic, dyneema, and steel
11'  x  33'  x  4'

When this project was published, the committee expressed a desire for the themes and designs of this commission to take into consideration the placement of this building not only as a part of the campus, but as a part of the wider region, including the interconnection and interdependence of the areas natural history with its human history, cultural diversity/unity, and the tenacity required to thrive in a desert environment.

Atmosphere is inspired by virga, streaks of rain streaming from a cloud and evaporating in the dry desert air before reaching the earth.  The work is intended to be an object of wonderment; a myriad of light squares glowing in a continuous effervescence.  The play of shadow and reflections continually change with the intensity, angle and type of light.  The viewer can experience the work from different levels inside or from the exterior creating a transition between interior and exterior much as the architect intended in the building design.