Wednesday, October 4, 2017

The Last Scattering Surface


I think this art piece that glows in the lobby of the Phoenix Art Museum is my favorite piece in the whole museum.  And it looks so pretty lit up at night when the museum is closed.


The piece is called "The Last Scattering Surface" and it's part of a series that the artist, Josiah McElheny calls the Big Bang Series.  The artist says that this piece attempts to explain the creation of the universe.

In the artist's description he explains that the term "last scattering surface" is a scientific term used to describe when the universe transformed from opaque to transparent or in other words, "when light particles that filled the early cosmos separated from normal matter and began to travel freely through space."












It's made from glass, metal and electrical lights.


I never fail to stop for another photo.  I'm simply drawn to it every time I visit the museum.

11 comments:

  1. It does make a great subject for photography. It reminds me of the famous chandeliers at the Metropolitan opera in NYC.

    https://medium.com/@kynaleski/genesis-the-chandeliers-of-the-metropolitan-opera-house-2090ee74690e

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  2. One can certainly see why you are attracted to this museum! That Last Scattering Piece is a superb bit of sculpture - I'd probably appreciate even more if I knew more about the beginnings of the universe. Love all the reflected light in that last photo! Thanks for sharing!

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  3. I LOVE it, Sharon! Especially at night!

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  4. So pretty it reminds me of a dandelion flower!

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  5. It is absolutely gorgeous Sharon!

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  6. It is wonderfully eye catching, Sharon!

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  7. Its fabulous and how well you have photographed it!

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  8. It is absolutely beautiful especially at night. Love all those reflections, very nice photos Sharon. It's one of those things that you'll photograph every time you see it.

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  9. It is pretty spectacular Sharon and incredibly photogenic.. it's the kind of piece you could capture something different each time ✨

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  10. Sorry, Sharon. Physics is not my thing. Can I just appreciate it as a visual matter without understanding what the artist thinks it is about?

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