Week 7: Radiant

Art Installation at the Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas, NA.

This weekend I had the pleasure of joining LDI for the first time in Las Vegas. For three days I was surrounded by a city that never shuts off, a city known for outrageousness in every aspect. The visual design of the city, in particular its LED and neon signs, are a part of the full throttle and in-your-face atmosphere. I drank in all this atmosphere — the lights, the convention, the stench of stale cigarettes that seems to follow you when you go — and in a corner of the outlandishly lavish mall inside the Venetian Hotel, I found a place of quiet. The installation pictured was a peaceful pocket in the city of indulgence. Long strips of green, blue and yellow cloth hung from the ceiling to the floor below a skylight that let light shine through, shimmering as the fabric swayed softly. It was truly serene, and a wonder how something so simple created something so beautiful. While observing the people who interacted with this piece (myself included), I realized that everyone who connected with the installation walked away seeming reenergized in some way. Perhaps this pocket of peace is necessary in a place that is so extreme, because its serene beauty is radiantly rejuvenating.