Just like a synchronized flock of graceful birds swooping and diving together in fascinating harmony, Dichroic Waves is a mesmerizing kinetic sculpture that brings abundant movement, color, and light to the atrium of Science Museum Oklahoma. One hundred and ninety individual acrylic louvers of varying lengths are suspended and appear to float freely in the air. As the sun moves across the sky, rays of light strike the louvers and are reflected and refracted throughout the enchanted space below. Each viewer will see a unique arrangement of color from their individual perspectives, whether from below or from the the balconies or stairs, or from any other angle–the colors appear to change constantly as they rotate.
Each louver is attached to an individual servo motor at the ceiling, allowing for rotational movement. The acrylic louvers are covered with a 3M dichroic film that has properties that shift the color of both transmitted and reflected light as they rotate. The louvers will appear to narrow to nothing and then widen again as they dance in harmony in the sky.
Dichroic Waves is designed to fully harness the abundant natural light of the atrium and uniquely illustrate the physics of movement and changing light.
