Untitled (ORFE/SEAS)

Sculptor Jim Isermann worked closely with Fred Fisher, the architect of Sherrerd Hall, to conceptualize and position this untitled sculpture. Suspended within the building’s primary staircase, it consists of a chrome-plated aluminum lattice punctuated by dozens of rectangular LED lights, which twist in different directions. Much like the glass box of the building that Fisher designed, Isermann’s sculpture relies heavily on reflection and transparency. Both the art and the building are feasts for the eye, creating a hallucinatory web of optical effects. Captured in the sculpture’s highly polished metal, for instance, are colors and forms from the surrounding environment, including perhaps your own reflection. Isermann’s work incorporates elements of both fine art and industrial design; many of the objects he creates can be used for everyday purposes even as we appreciate them for their aesthetic beauty.