“EXPLORATION IN LINE AND LIGHT”

BY ARTIST PHILIP VAUGHAN

English artist Philip Vaughan first became interested in neon and light art while at Chelsea Art School in London, during a course on the theory of light and color. He was intrigued when he learned that paint mixes differently than light does, as well as by the idea of using light as a medium itself to make art. Combining this with his love of sculpture and installation, he began experimenting with all three.

While at Chelsea art school, he created a piece where three incandescent light sources spun and projected colored light on the walls, mixing the light’s colors as they spun and combined. Later he read a book by Cornwall Klein, who was experimenting with light projection and synesthesia.

Around this time, Vaughan attended a lecture given by Buckminster Fuller and shortly after that started to experiment with geodesic structures himself. He made a group of models of them and eventually started to incorporate linear lights. This work culminated in a sculpture for the Hayward Gallery on London’s Southbank, the Neon Tower whose neon lights would dim and change according to the speed and direction of the wind, reflecting its environment. After building the sculpture for the Hayward Gallery Neon Tower, he also built an 80-foot diameter hemispherical inflatable dome theater with projected light shows for entrepreneur and filmmaker John Bloomfield.

Since moving to the United States, he worked for a while at Walt Disney

Imagineering where he continued to learn about lighting, theatrics, computer controls and construction. Vaughan has continued to create art and experiment with neon, sculpture, and architecture as art and technology alike evolve. He continues to plan and build public sculptures, using light and other media.

PRESENTED BY b G

GALLERY