About the artwork
Laura Hughes
Interior Reflections, 2017
Dimensions(h x w x d): 78" x 3-1/2"
Vinyl and dichroic glass film
Located in Blumel Hall's first floor resident lounge
Artist statement: “For this project, I transformed the east-facing, main floor windows of Blumel Hall with a public interactive light-based installation created by applying a variety of translucent and reflective adhesive vinyl onto the existing vertical blinds. This transformation visually enhances the interior communal space as well as the exterior of the building by creating an experience of reflected light and color that changes throughout the day while establishing a dialogue with the existing architecture. The piece has an interactive element as it can be activated and altered by inhabitants by tilting and opening/closing the blinds.”
About the artist
Laura Hughes is a visual artist based in Portland, OR, who creates site-specific installations that investigate how light, form and space surround and shape one another in our perception. Directly responding to the given features of architectural space, she manipulates reflective materials and artificial or natural light to navigate dimensional relationships, intersecting planes, and shifting visibilities relative to surface, space and the movements of viewers.
Originally from Canada, Hughes has received multiple grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Regional Arts & Culture Council, the Oregon Arts Commission, the Ford Family Foundation and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. Hughes received an MFA in Visual Studies from the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, and a BFA in Drawing with Distinction from the Alberta College of Art & Design in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She teaches undergraduate and graduate students at Portland State University and the Pacific Northwest College of Art.
See more of Laura Hughes's work on her website.
This work was acquired through Oregon's Percent for Art in Public Places Program, managed by the Oregon Arts Commission.
Banner image: Photo by Mario Gallucci.