Details

Title

Bright Star (Sirius)

Artist/Maker

Spencer Finch (American, born 1962)

Date

2010

Medium

Fluorescent lamps, fixtures, filters, and aluminum

Dimensions

107 7/8 inches

Credit

Purchase through funds provided by patrons of Collectors Evening 2011

Accession #

2011.5

On View

Currently not on view

Bright Star (Sirius) illustrates what Spencer Finch has described as art’s ability to “ignite our capacity for wonder.” Based on the star Sirius, otherwise known as the “Dog Star” due to its prominence in the constellation Canis Major (Big Dog), here Finch seeks to replicate the exact light intensity of the star’s bluish cast when seen by the naked eye. He accomplishes this with a meticulous process of translating astronomical research into a system that approximates the star’s color and intensity through the placement of colored gels of specific widths on fluorescent tubes at prescribed intervals.

Image Copyright

© Spencer Finch

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