Application: Museum

Location: Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska

Product: CAPSYLITE^® PAR64, AR-111 and HPL Halogen, PENTRON^® T5 HO Lamps

Lighting Designer: Earl F. Levin, L.C., IALD, Pacific LightWorks; assisted by Veronika-Batho Demelius, Senior Lighting Designer, Pacific LightWorks

SYLVANIA Commercial Engineer: Katrina Tadic

The Situation

Dale Chihuly is the world’s most renowned large-scale glass artist.  Commissioned by the Joslyn Art Museum, Chihuly created a one-of-a-kind permanent sculpture as a prelude to a large exhibit of Chihuly glass.  The 35-foot tall glass sculpture became the “Joslyn Window” at the museum, located in Omaha, Neb.  Pacific Lightworks in Portland, Ore., participated in the lighting of this world-class exhibit, using SYLVANIA lighting products specified by Commercial Engineer Katrina Tadic.  Earl Levin, managing principal for Pacific Lightworks, was assisted on the project by Veronika-Batho Demelius, a senior lighting designer at the firm.

The Solution

At the concept stage, six weeks out, the final form of the 35’ X 25’ permanent glass sculpture had not yet been determined.  A small-scale concept model, space photographs and blueprints were used to conceive the lighting design as well as computer modeling and electrical calculations.

Vertical museum track behind the sculpture and overhead museum track was integrated into the existing glass truss work.  A total of 12 circuits and 60 sources were necessary to achieve the final result.  Easy accessibility with museum lifts also was an important consideration for long-term maintenance.

Glass tips at the front of the sculpture were grazed with SYLVANIA’s narrow beam CAPSYLITE^® PAR64’s, AR111 aluminum reflector and OSRAM HPL lamps.  This defined the outer boundaries of the sculpture with a flamed tip effect.  To give the piece inner depth, lensed HPL lamps and a small quantity of AR 111’s were placed low and behind the piece.

A sit-down dinner for 1,000 people at the opening demanded error free timing.  Minimum spill was essential to achieve the final dramatic effect.  Elimination of glare by shielding also was essential.  Building automation with daylight control was implemented to regulate “on time” to save energy and extend lamp life.

“Dale is a pretty exciting guy to work for.  He has a vision for what most glass artists would consider impossible.  To work for Dale you must have a sixth sense.  You need to predict with reasonable accuracy where he is going before he gets there,” said Levin, LC, IALD.  “Creating the effect and meeting the deadline is much like being on stage, rehearsed and ready for the opening performance.  The end result is quite spectacular and breathtaking and definitely worth the effort.”

Adds Demelius, “For me successful lighting design should be precise, simple and invisible.  My strongest quality as a lighting designer is my sense of proportion and the ability to visualize how certain light influences architectural and natural forms.  I really do enjoy perfecting the client’s vision.”

Pacific Lightworks is currently working on the Chihuly “Bridge of Glass” which is at the entrance to the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Wash.  The 500-foot long bridge includes two 40-foot towers known as Crystal Gate, each lit with six 1000-watt SYLVANIA metal halide lamps.  Before entering the museum, visitors will pass under a 150-foot long glass ceiling called the Seaform Pavillion.  The ceiling will be lit by a combination of SYLVANIA dimmable PENTRON® T5 HO, AR-111 and daylight through skylight slits.  Lighting is regulated by a daylight tracking photocell that will produce higher light levels during daylight and lower light levels at night.

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