Larry Kirkland Needle Dichroic glass 2002 Keck Center of The National Academies 500 Fifth Street NW Atrium (not on view to the general public)

A dichroic glass ‘needle’ is suspended against the skylight of the atrium of the Keck Center of the National Academies (not open to the public).

While the atrium was inspired by the concept of the town square, the needle finds inspiration in the sundial – the original town clock. It produces continually changing effects on the interior space, reflecting changes in time and weather.

Though not a specific scientific device, it is an artistic expression of two ideas central to humans’ understanding of their world: place and time.

Photo courtesy JD Talasek