Peña Light Rail Station, Denver, Colorado, USA, 2019

Luminous Wind is inspired by innovation, energy and phenomena of the natural environment. The art draws connections between its location at Peña Station NEXT, a technologically-infused master-planned Smart City, and the vision of Denver’s former mayor, Federico Peña, the namesake of both Peña Boulevard and the transit station and whose first campaign slogan was, fittingly, “Imagine a Great City.”

The 27’-tall sculpture is clad in environmentally activated materials that are luminous, colorful and dramatic in the ever-changing sky, sun, wind and landscape. 952 prismatic acrylic rods radiate out from a stainless steel geodesic sphere set on a tripod. The rods are inspired by grasses of the windswept landscape. Like grasses, in heavy winds they quiver and move. Each rod is illuminated by an individually programmable color-changing LED node, resulting in a mosaic of shifting light colors and patterns to create a myriad of spectacular dynamic and vivid nighttime effects. Every night of the week a different moving light show cycles through the sculpture, while holidays are marked by special colors and programs. As the local wind speed picks up, a wind sensor triggers an increase in the speed of the lighting changes. The artwork is a barometer that visualizes and broadcasts wind patterns.

Luminous Wind was commissioned by the City and County of Denver, with partial funding from Aviation Station North Metropolitan District, developer of Peña Station NEXT. The sculpture was fabricated by Studio Fifty50 and Atomic Fabrications, engineered by Yetiweurks, and installed by Elmendorf/Geurts. Lighting equipment and programming was by RGB Lights and installation was by Sturgeon Electric Company.