American artist Phillip K. Smith III recently unveiled his light based project called Lucid Stead, a run down cabin in the desert landscape of Joshua Tree National Park, California which completely changes form as day turns to night.
Smith created the illusion that you can see right through the building by adding mirrors. He transformed a 70-year-old ramshackle wooden shelter into an international art phenomenon simply by making use of a few mirrors, LED lights, and creativity.
This architectural intervention looks ethereal to some because of its bleak landscape but others view the structure as a spiritual experience. The shack seems to interact with the movement of the sun because the artwork is in a continuous state of change.
During daytime, the structure looks partially transparent because of strategically placed mirrors which reflect the sweeping vistas. By night, the four window openings and the doorway all become crisp rectangular fields of color.
As per Smith, ‘Lucid Stead’ is about tapping into the quiet and change of pace of the desert. When you slow down and align yourself with the desert, the project begins to unfold before you and reveals the mystifying shelter is all about light and shadow, reflected light, projected light, and change.
