Hammond Courthouse Installation

Dale Chihuly’s glass installations bring together light, color, and volume to amplify the spirit of, or provide an engaging visual counterpoint to, their particular location.  His Hammond Courthouse Installation introduces a glittering array of colors to the austere limestone courthouse designed by Harry Cobb of Pei Cobb Freed and Partners, Inc.  Situated in the sunny atrium, Chihuly’s four sculptures are each composed of an exuberant cluster of hand-blown glass tendrils held aloft by sleek metal columns.  Cobalt blue, pale turquoise and gold dusted tendrils radiate from a central nucleus and coil in countless directions.  Each sculptural flourish represents a unique arrangement of spiraling arabesques and bulbous forms that are individually anchored to the core.

The glass clusters are further enhanced by natural and artificial light.  Floor-to-ceiling windows permit abundant sunlight to enter the atrium, while light fixtures built into the limestone pedestals illuminate the sculptures from below.  The transparent glass glows, creating colorful reflections on the polished terrazzo floor and casting intricate shadows on the surrounding limestone walls. 

The four sculptures mark the center of the atrium and accentuate the cross-axis that guides visitors to the courtrooms above.  Visible from multiple levels of the building, the sculptures are an exuberant contrast to the chaste materials, geometry, proportions, and formal spaces of the building, and provide a visual foil to the architecture.  They help to denote the atrium as a special room in the courthouse and an important civic space in the city of Hammond.