Chrysler Chandelier
Artist
Luke Jerram
(English, born 1974)
Date2014
MediumGlass radiometers, acrylic, stainless steel cable and LED circuits
Dimensions17 ft., 66 lb. (518.1 cm, 29.9 kg)
ClassificationsGlass
Credit LineMuseum commission with support from the Christiane and James Valone Charitable Fund of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, in honor of Denise Gabrielle Jacot des Combes and Leslie Ellis, and Ethel Morrison Fielder and James Valone
Object number2014.4
Collections
On View
On viewSince the chandelier will not be exposed to direct sunlight, small infrared LED circuit lights power the radiometers and make them spin.
Label TextLuke Jerram English, b. 1974 Chrysler Chandelier, 2014 Glass radiometers, acrylic, stainless steel cable, and LED circuits What does light look like? Luke Jerram’s kinetic sculpture makes light visible by converting photons into movement. As infrared light (from the sun and tiny LEDs) shines on the sculpture, it warms up the vanes inside each glass globe, or radiometer. The black sides of the paddles absorb more heat than the white sides, and the uneven heat distribution causes the vanes to spin. Because the process only occurs within a near-vacuum, radiometers containing more air will spin less. With 330 radiometers delicately wired to an acrylic framework, the sculpture shimmers, casting flickering shadows onto the nearby walls. It also emits a faint clinking—the sound of light. Museum commission with support from the Christiane and James Valone Charitable Fund of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, in honor of Denise Gabrielle Jacot des Combes and Leslie Ellis, and Ethel Morrison Fielder and James Valone 2014.4
Préfecture de Police de Paris, Service de l'Identité Judiciaire
January 1910
Préfecture de Police de Paris, Service de l'Identité Judiciaire
July 1910
