flying wave by ray king

sculpture in daylight from exterior

flying wave is an iconic light-responsive, sculpture suspended in the lobby of the new sci* office tower in the nei-hu district of taipei, taiwan. the sculpture uses glass, light and color as its medium, and is specially designed as a “pure form” in the lobby volume.

flying wave hovers in space, defining the expansive lobby with thousands of sparkling, dichroic, light-sensitive glass elements that fill, but do not “occupy” the space in an opaque sense. the glass elements — laminated with a thin film of dichroic coating that projects blue and reflects gold colors — complement the elegance and clean lines of the lobby space.

in designing this artwork, artist ray king was inspired by the owner, mr. gary yu‘s reference to the natural beauty of geese flying in v-formation during migration. king used this image of birds in flight as a metaphor for the sculpture — as the glass elements float in space, they form a wave that descends, swooping down and then dramatically rising again.

the sculpture suspends along the lobby’s eastern glass wall and expands from a single glass element to hundreds. the shape is also reminiscent of a paint brush stroke, or an expressive calligraphic gesture to bring good fortune. when sunlight strikes the sculpture from the southeast in late mornings, the suspended dichroic glass elements project and reflect streaks of light and splashes of color into the surrounding space. these swashes constantly change color and appearance depending on the orientation of the viewer and the angle of the light, appealing to the viewers’ sense of wonderment and curiosity, sparking their imagination, evoking a sense of fascination, stimulation, beauty, contemplation, and intrigue for all. 

interior lobby shot

interior with reflections and projections

interior with reflections and projections

close-up interior

long shot

detail looking up

light reflections projected on the ceiling

computer model

computer model

construction model

computer model in context of lobby

http://www.rayking.nu

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