Within the renovated lobby of One State Street, a wall behaves less like a surface and more like a material condition—absorbing, refracting, and redistributing light throughout the space. Embedded within the architecture rather than mounted onto it, the installation operates as an atmospheric layer that subtly reshapes how the lobby is perceived and inhabited.

The work takes the form of a crystalline structure that activates its surroundings through reflection and color. As visitors approach the security desk, fragments of the lobby—people, finishes, and movement—are captured and recomposed across the faceted surface, producing kaleidoscopic reflections that shift with proximity and viewpoint. The wall gains spatial depth, collapsing the boundary between object and environment.

A lightweight aluminum structure clad in 3M dichroic film amplifies variation in color and reflectivity based on angle and lighting conditions. From every position, the installation presents a different visual state, recalibrated continuously by movement through the space. Light becomes an active material, shaping perception rather than simply illuminating form.

A diffused, backlit LED system allows the installation to register across changing conditions. Subtle shifts in color dramatically alter the behavior of the dichroic surface: some hues read as nearly monolithic, while others fracture into complex spectrums. Blue light renders the film almost transparent, revealing the underlying structure and shifting the work from reflective surface to exposed framework.

During the day, natural light softly activates the installation from the exterior. At night, the wall becomes a lantern visible through the building’s glass façade, oscillating between interior atmosphere and outward-facing beacon. By treating the wall as a material system rather than an object, the installation reframes public art as an integrated spatial gesture—one shaped by light, movement, and perception.

Photos: Alan Tansey