Light Totem

Artist: Troy Donovan (Australia)

Collaborator: Romain Guillot (France)

Light Totem comprises of two illuminated sculptures rising 4.8 metres from its base in a series of diminishing loops of coloured metal inspired by the surface of Sydney Harbour.

During the day, the coloured loops are a static sculpture; at dusk they are illuminated by an LED uplight concealed at the base. This assists the interplay of light and pattern between the interior and exterior of the structure and delivers a sense of movement as visitors pass by.

The twisted totemic structures are beautiful, but the core idea of Light Totem is its experimentation with materials: firstly through the development of a ‘new material’ that creates the appearance of the twisted undulating patterns and loops on the ‘totem’.

The loops (called ‘sine waves’ by the artist) were cut from single tubular pipe sections, 1.6 metres in length, using an extremely precise industrial cutting process. This created no wastage and was able to expand the material to three times its original volume, which made for efficient use of the metal in the construction of the totem.

Light Totem’s second area of experimentation is intended to create a new paradigm for design and computer-aided manufacturing: at the end of its temporary life, the Light Totem structure can be reassembled into a 1.6 metre length of coloured metal tubing.

Country represented by installation: Australia