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Solar Spectrum by Charles Ross
Photo CreditCarol M. Highsmith Photography
Solar Spectrum
Photo CreditCarol M. Highsmith Photography

Solar Spectrum

Artist
Year1998
Classification sculpture
Medium acrylic
Dimensions18 prisms total; dimensions each: 12 x 12 x 96 in. (30.5 x 30.5 x 243.8 cm)
Credits Commissioned through the Art in Architecture Program
Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration
Location
  • The artwork consists of 18 acrylic prisms each approximately 14"x16" per side and 8' long, which are suspended just below the glass of the main five-story atrium skylight.  Each prism is specifically tuned to the sun for a particular time of day and season.  When the sun strikes the prisms, large bands of solar spectrum continuously evolve throughout the day, expanding into bright washes or contracting into brilliant bands of solar color as they are propelled through the space by the turning of the Earth.