2014
AMPLIFIERS
NICOLE BECK
STAINLESS STEEL, CUSTOM-LAMINATED DICHROIC GLASS, PROGRAMMABLE RGB LEDS, AND GRANITE
ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING BUILDING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
STAINLESS STEEL FABRICATION BY VECTOR; DICHROIC GLASS BY KAISER VON ROENN STUDIOS; LEDS PROGRAMMED BY ECE JUNIOR BRADY SALZ & TROY FUJIMARA OF LIGHTSWITCH; RIGGING & SITE INSTALLATIONS BY PAT MCDONALD AND NASH CRANE; GRANITE BASES BY ERIC LINDSEY AND JOHN BASILE; ELECTRICAL WIRING & INSTALLATION BY RENEWABLES SPECIALISTS, TRANG DONOVAN; PROPOSAL RENDERS BY CHRISTOPHER TEDIN;
Amplifiers are a set of two 18’ tall site-specific sculptures by artist Nicole Beck. Commissioned by the Capital Development Board of Illinois Art-In-Architecture program, these sculptures simultaneously draw from and respond to the rich history of their surroundings.
On the subject of these artworks, Beck says:
“The concept for Amplifiers is rooted in the history of the world-renowned Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois where both the transistor and the LED were discovered. Two sculptures capture the abstract dynamic of the oscillating light pulse from an electron-hole recombination and thus actualize the physics of an LED. The project was highly collaborative gathering design input from ECE Professor John Dellasasse and from undergrad ECE major, Brady Salz, with whom I worked collaboratively to program the LEDs.
Specifically, the sculptures honor Professors Emeriti, John Bardeen (inventor of the transistor) and Nick Holonyak, Jr. (inventor of the LED) and imply the dynamic research and collaborations that have earmarked this institution for decades, and they stand as LED-lit beacons for its future vision. It pays heed to the inherent power of two minds being greater than one.”
Photography by Nicole Beck and Vector