Sky

For the lobby of the federal courthouse in El Paso, light artist Leo Villareal has created a large-scale digital mural that evokes the rich chromatic spectrum of the southwestern sky. This constantly shifting field of color, appropriately titled Sky, references the sun’s daily trajectory. At times it appears blue and white, suggesting gently moving clouds. At other times, a bolder palette mimics the brilliant hues of sunrise and sunset. The pulsing color and pattern changes are seemingly random and unpredictable, producing a mesmerizing effect.

Sky consists of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) mounted to the wall horizontally in an 11-by-30-foot arrangement, as if to give the viewer an impressionistic version of the sky through an imaginary picture window. A translucent screen diffuses the light and blends the individual red, green, and blue colors. The sequence and color value of the LEDs are controlled by a complex computer code written by Villareal. By modulating the values of each LED, millions of different hues can be created, producing countless color combinations. In the artist’s words, “this digital mural synthesizes the organic and the technological, visually manifesting an animated portrait of the sky.”

The work is installed across from the upper lobby in the public lounge area of the courthouse. Here visitors are able to stop, take a moment to sit, and immerse themselves in the rhythm of the shifting colors. Viewers can also glimpse the artwork from the lower lobby through the glass railings of the upper level, and from the outdoor plaza through the glass entry. Reflecting on the work’s visibility from outside the building, Villareal remarked, “The work has a strong presence, a softly breathing and pulsing force that brings a feeling of ‘life’ to the building.”