Optical Streams

Part 1 – Laminated Dichroic Glass and Stainless Steel
The 109 colored glass circles represent letters from the Periodic Table of the Elements. The organic pattern of the stainless steel armature, inspired by Lafayette’s creek networks, supports the hanging glass elements. Sunlight passing through the glass creates moving reflections and colored shadow patterns across the deck floor, giving children an opportunity to observe natural light phenomena and playful optical illusions. The etched letters on each disk provide an additional educational layer, introducing chemical symbols from the Periodic Table.

Part 2 – Glass and Plexiglas in Steel Tubing
Three optical pieces, 10” in diameter and 6” deep, are mounted on columns, accompanied by 16 portholes along the deck wall (9” in diameter, 10” deep). Handmade optical lenses, suspended within plexiglas panels, capture the viewer and the landscape beyond the deck, creating upside-down and reversed views. Each lens is unique in form, presenting multiple and varied optical illusions.

This 2nd-floor deck area is designed for preschool children, and all glass elements are positioned for accessibility at their eye level.

In 2020, Part 1, the laminated dichroic glass periodic table installation, was relocated and reconfigured into two distinct locations within the library, with ten additional element disks expanding the composition. View the relocated version here.