Light Touch

Like the ever present force of gravity itself, the sociopolitical gravity of our current moment goes mostly unacknowledged, its weight greater than any one person can bear. Thus, we quietly and collectively carry it together.

Though light like gravity can be a constant presence, under ordinary circumstances it goes mostly unnoticed. What we know of black holes is despite their being extreme gravitational singularities, they lack the ability to bend light. Rather, they distort spacetime in such a way that light has the appearance of being bent. While our current collective burden, a blackhole of desperation, violence and intolerance, may feel all-encompassing, it will never entirely devour the light of the world.

Light Touch is a reminder of the inextinguishable light inside each of us. It is a beacon that brightens as we come together. It’s an invitation to touch the light.

What will it be?

Light Touch is an 8' high sculptural installation with a footprint of 35'x21'. It consists of three nested zigzags, each composed of five 8'x10' sections at 90 degree angles to each consecutive section. The frame of each will be constructed of 1/2" Electrical Metal Tubing (EMT) with angled aluminum end and corner brackets. Think of each of the 3 zigzag’s forms as resembling a 5 panel privacy screen. An 8'x10' fringe curtain will hang within each section, for a total of 15 fringed panels. At night the piece will be illuminated with solar-powered LED spotlights. Participants will be able to move through the piece. The scale of the work is intended to fully immerse the viewer, while at the same time neither competing with nor being dominated by the surrounding landscape.

How will the work's mission be supported by its design?

Beyond the intrusion of Las Vegas light pollution, the natural light of southern Nevada is nearly tangible. It's uniquely textural, both delicate and profound. Light Touch is a simple instrument intended to harness the texture of light. By day, thin strings of semi-transparent fringe will break apart natural light, rendering it almost palpable. The piece will be most activated when the sun is low on the horizon, light breaking through fringe in the same way it's shattered into shards by rocky ridge tops as it ducks beyond the horizon. By night, artificial light will be fragmented in a similar way.

Why support Light Touch?

In 2023 I participated in the inaugural Desert Biennial Project- Stone Soup on the Jean Dry Lake Bed in southern Nevada. Read more about it here. For Stone Soup I built a piece called Circle (images included below). Circle was a testament to the destructive encroachment of development on fragile desert ecosystems. It also served as a time piece and observatory, a site on which to mark shifts in light perception as we rotate under the heavens.

With Light Touch, I was invited back as a participant in Desert Biennial Project's second iteration- Gravity. Light Touch is a bit more ambitious than Circle. Despite this, it's entirely manageable. As a participating artist from so far away, my greatest limitation with this project is portability, and my ability to construct the piece quickly upon arrival. Light Touch was conceived of with these limitations in mind.

Donations will cover transportation and material costs- EMT conduit and connectors, fringed fabric, rebar, and solar powered LEDs.

If you believe in the power of art to unite diverse communities around challenging topics, I ask for your support in bringing Light Touch to life.

Donate, spread the word, reach for the light.

Best always,

-Abney