Projects

Wave Wall

Winner of the 2007 Architects Institute of America (AIA) design award (New Orleans Chapter), Wave Wall is a monumental kinetic facade activated by the wind. Each 35-foot pendulum is magnetically coupled with its neighbor so that the whole wall reveals beautiful fluid-like motions. Developed through a unique collaboration between Exploratorium artists Shawn Lani, Charles Sowers, Peter Richards, and scientists from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO), the artwork mirrors the theme of LIGO’s new visitor center – wave propagation, gravity, resonance, and light.

The LIGO Science Center includes over three dozen exhibits originally developed at the Exploratorium as well as educational outreach programs for students and teachers. Wave Wall serves as a reminder of both the beauty and complex mysteries that underlie projects like LIGO that seek to answer fundamental yet unanswered questions about our universe.