Glow: Discover the Art of Light | Exploratorium Museum Exhibition

Glow: Discover the Art of Light

Get curious about light this winter! Explore our galleries for luminous artworks big and small, including U.S. premieres.

Touch quantum physics and play experimental LED dungeon crawlers (Robin Baumgarten).
Immerse yourself in kinetic light concerts (Collectif Scale).
Unveil hidden crystals and explore surprising visual landscapes (Maria Constanza Ferreira).
Find your bliss beneath a vast glowing moon (Luke Jerram).
Meditate on color in motion (Chaco Kato).
Compose and create with large-scale sound and light experiences (Masary Studios).
See yourself in mechanical mirrors (Daniel Rozin).

Still light-curious? Explore color and shadows in Bechtel Gallery 3, and check out eye-opening programs for both adults and kids. Don’t miss this radiant seasonal expansion of the Exploratorium’s iconic exhibits on light.

glow-interactive-placeholder

Make Your Own Light Art

Become a light artist with this glowy drawing interactive that follows your mouse with luminous patterns.

Try Light Drawing Now

Explore the Artworks

Line Wobbler

Battle enemies, lava, and force fields in a one-dimensional dungeon crawler. Can you complete all nine levels?

Quantum Jungle

This artwork is a mathematically accurate model of a quantum object, which can be in more than one place at a time.

Flux

Watch 48 twirling rods of light appear to twist and coil. Put on a headset to immerse yourself in the synchronized original compositions.

Crystal Paintings

Crystal Paintings

A prismatic phenomenon reveals itself when polarized light emanating from a lightbox passes through crystals and another polarizer.

Glow Cinema

These short films explore synthetic crystals, the vibrancy of light in cityscapes, and surprising visual landscapes.

Museum of the Moon

Museum of the Moon

Our moon acts as a cultural mirror, reflecting not just the Sun’s light, but the stories and beliefs of people around the world.

color study

Constantly changing colors and geometric patterns are projected onto a solid but seemingly weightless artwork made of string.

Sound Sculpture

Sound Sculpture

Move cubes to create dynamic musical compositions in this interactive sound and light instrument for spontaneous collaboration.

CMY Shadows Mirror

CMY Shadows Mirror

This interactive sculpture uses the subtractive color model to filter out light that would otherwise be reflected as white.

RGB Lights Mirror

RGB Lights Mirror

Vivid lights plus the glow of rotating knobs create a 3D illusion and highly saturated images in this kinetic sculpture.

front view of the one candle mirror exhibit

One Candle Mirror

A single source of light—a candle—is manipulated through 278 motor-mounted 3D printed lenses to create dynamic displays.

Presented by

Community Partners

ABC7