Eye of Atlas

2021 | Campus wide indoor and outdoor light installation

How do we see? How does light contribute to sight? Humanity has researched these questions for millennia, and the answers have continuously changed over time. In Ancient Greece, nearly 2500 years ago, Empedocles postulated the theory of Visual Fire, that held up for 2000 years. Empedocles thought that we see through sending light, “Visual Fire”, out of our eyes. When this light touches an object, we physically connect to it through the light. This connection makes us see.

I gave the Atlas building sight as Empedocles theorised. Atlas’ radiant eye curiously explores all activity at campus. The Visual Fire from the eye lights up everything it touches, including the streets, artworks and visitors. Follow his glowing gaze, and experience how it continuously transforms campus.

Eye of Atlas is realised by a unique connection between the indoor lighting system and the campus street lighting system. Both systems are computer controlled, and through a technical feat I could choreograph both: If the eye watches an area, it is lit up by the street lighting at that location. The total size of the artwork is 35.000m2.

Pictures by Bart van Overbeeke. Movies by House of Yellow.