Artist
Mikyoung Kim
Kaleidoscope Project
Date2010
MediumDichroic and reflective acrylic
DimensionsEach (Panel): 6 1/2 × 7 ft. (198.1 × 213.3 cm)
Credit LineDC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Commissioned Project
Object numberDCCAH2009.139
ClassificationsSite-specific Installation
Locations
- Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge (14th Street Bridge)
DescriptionIn 2010, artist Mikyoung Kim completed a public art project for the 14th Street Bridge Tenders’ House. This hexagonally shaped tower was once the work site of drawbridge operators, but is now empty. Rather than let the empty tower go to waste, the District Department of Transportation and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities collaborated on an effort to turn it into “a luminous beacon welcoming vehicular travelers and train commuters to the Nation’s capital.” The metaphor of lighthouse lenses and teleidoscopes (a type of kaleidoscope) were the inspiration for the project, and the art piece transforms the internal space of the house into an optical instrument of acrylic glass and light. This in turn creates an illusion of infinite depth of light and color, and the fluid light evokes the flowing Potomac River as well as the rhythmic movement of car lights and trains. The Tenders’ House is truly exemplary of how an otherwise unused and abandoned site can be transformed into a stunning piece of art.
