New art installation on display in Seaholm district

A new plasma art creation is temporarily on display at the historic Seaholm Water Intake Facility.

Driving the news: The piece, "Sun Poem," from Austin artist Anahita Bradberry is designed to be viewed from the outside of the facility and uses two inverse hues of argon plasma illumination on the north and south walls.

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• The illumination diffuses and reflects light on translucent fabric panels.
• As the light changes throughout the day, the reflections of the sun and the moon shift from blue to red and back again.

What they're saying: "The light from the sun and the glowing glass tubes are illuminated by gas in a plasma state — the most common phase of matter in the universe — creating poetic alignment between urban neons and the cycles of the Earth and Sun," Bradberry said in a statement.

• "This commonality reminds us of the interconnected reality of the built and natural environment, made more poignant in the shadow of infrastructure that once powered the entire city of Austin."

"Sun Poem" is viewable from outside the Seaholm Water Intake Facility. Photo: Courtesy of Anahita Bradberry

The big picture: It's the latest art installation for Tempo , a program by The Trail Conservancy and the Economic Development Department's Art in Public Places Program.

• Bradberry and seven other local artists were selected to create short-term or time-based artworks at various locations along the hike-and-bike trail.
• Each artist received $25,000 to design, fabricate and install their artwork.

Flashback: In April, sculptor and land artist Diego Miró-Rivera created his Tempo piece "Conversation Stones" on the southeast side of the hike-and-bike trail to encourage strangers to connect with one another.

📍 If you go: The exhibition will be on display until June 2025 at 801 W. Cesar Chavez St.