[a]tension draws from Dan Flavin’s renowned work and extracts the commonly-used elements of simplicity, spatial definition, tension, and color contrast to create a refreshing new installation. It is, in essence, a contained experience of luminous and spatial tension and relaxation.
The installation employs fluorescent luminaries to create post-and-lintel archways which creates a “tunnel of tension” to be traversed by the exhibit visitor. Based on traffic flow direction, the tunnel expands (or shrinks), creating a sensation of relaxation (or tension) for the person crossing over.
Both interior and exterior faces of the archways have fluorescent lamps, colored with gels of warm and cool hues. The visual perspective enforced by the archways is emphasized by the constant length of horizontal fluorescent lamps (which enhance the shrinking width sensation of the pathway) and the varying vertical fluorescent lamps.
