Lumia, Counterpoint in Space, opus 146
Thomas Wilfred devoted his career to an ethereal artform of his own invention, "Lumia," that aimed to expand the concept of art beyond the standard media of painting and sculpture. Wilfred's Lumia use colored gels, stained glass, electric motors, and mirrors to project light onto translucent screens. In this example, the beam of a single incandescent bulb passes through a rotating color record and bounces off three curved reflectors, each programmed to revolve in different formations and at distinct speeds. This variability results in colors and amorphous forms that coalesce and disperse on the screen in 410 possible configurations, a cycle that takes more than forty-four hours to complete. While some of Wilfred’s devices resemble early television cabinets, this model, with its wooden case, borrows its form from the picture frames that might typically adorn oil paintings.
Artwork Details
- Title: Lumia, Counterpoint in Space, opus 146
- Artist: Thomas Wilfred (American (born Denmark) 1889–1968)
- Date: 1956
- Medium: Projected light on translucent poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) screen
- Dimensions: 24 5/8 × 20 5/8 × 14 1/4 in. (62.5 × 52.4 × 36.2 cm)
- Classification: Sculpture
- Credit Line: Gift of the artist, 1960
- Object Number: 60.185
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
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