Light Show

Light Show explores the experiential and sculptural nature oflight, tracing a historical trajectory of artwork that uses light to create specific conditions ofviewership. The book, which accompanies an exhibition originating at the Hayward Gallery, London,showcases more than twenty dramatic installations and sculptures from the 1960s to the present,pictured in 150 illustrations, most in color. These include works by artists associated withhistorical movements such as the "Light and Space" movement of the 1970s; rarely seeninstallations by such precursors as Dan Flavin and Carlos Cruz-Diez; and work by contemporaryartists who have found new ways to use light as a sculptural medium. All of the artworks exploredifferent aspects related to light, including color, duration, movement, sunlight, and moonlight.Some, including Dan Flavin's work made from fluorescent tubes, use light to dematerialize spacewhile others, such as Anthony McCall's "solid light" projections, give light an almosttangible quality. Many light works create immersive experiences, including Olafur Eliasson'satmospheric environments; still others use light as a medium for political response, including JennyHolzer's LED signs that broadcast censored documents from the "war on terror."Light Show features essays by the curator and editor Cliff Lauson, the arthistorian Anne Wagner, and the science writer Philip Ball, who traces the rich history of light as amedium, from phenomenon to artwork.