SugarHouse Casino has begun installation on a large-scale light sculpture that will illuminate the entire Delaware Avenue façade of its new seven-story parking garage.

The brilliant blue, orange and red light display was designed by East Falls, Pennsylvania-based artist Lyn Godley. The highly engaging lighting display represents the intersection of urban design, art and technology. The artwork is comprised of a series of light boxes and façade lighting that will change colors during the day and throughout the night to reflect similar patterns in the flow of the Delaware River.

SugarHouse commissioned artist Lyn Godley to develop an original, site-specific composition for SugarHouse. “It’s been a pleasure working with the City’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, Public Art Consultant Susan Davis and local artist Lyn Godley on this exciting project,” said Wendy Hamilton, general manager of SugarHouse Casino. “We are thrilled with the result, which further beautifies the neighborhood and becomes a signature architectural element of the expanded SugarHouse.”

“Lyn Godley has conceived a beautiful and engaging contribution to the visual landscape,” said Margot Berg, Public Art Director, Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy. “We welcome SugarHouse Casino’s unique contribution of color, light and technology to our city’s renowned public art collection.”

This installation is just one of the highlights of the casino’s expansion. In addition to the new seven-story garage, where parking is always free, the casino opened a larger gaming floor in December and will soon unveil the SugarHouse Casino Event Center with riverfront views; several new restaurants; a new poker room and other amenities.

About the Installation

Taking her inspiration from SugarHouse’s riverfront location, artist Lyn Godley designed the vivid, lighted dichroic grids and programmable façade lighting to mimic typical patterns in the Delaware River’s flowing motion.

Expected to take 120 man-hours (4-5 weeks) to install and test, the entire lighted art configuration is approximately 290 feet wide and 60 feet high. It is comprised of 171 dichroic laminated, large-scale, acrylic light boxes arranged in 19 grids across the front of the new SugarHouse Casino parking garage. The work of art also includes a bank of 73 Philips ColorBlast Powercore programmable display lights attached to the bottom edge of the installation, uplighting the entire façade in a wash of color. Covered in more than 2,736 square feet of shimmering, color-shifting 3M™ dichroic film, the light boxes are illuminated by approximately 8,550 white LED bulbs. Combining the properties of dichroic film and lighting conditions, the grids appear to 'play' with the light, reflecting and bouncing it to reveal a natural color spectrum that changes with the viewer’s perspective, even in daylight. The complete lighted installation is managed by a single computer and integrated with Philips programmable Color Kinetics software, running autonomously from dusk until dawn every day of the year and on darker, cloudy days as sensors indicate.

About the Artist

Of all of her work, it is lighting that captured Lyn Godley’s imagination. From chandeliers to full-scale illuminated evening gowns, Godley has explored a wide range of light sources and effects. She is regularly chosen for public art projects that explore the intersection of light and art in public spaces.

“I sought to capture the dazzling energy of the casino with the constantly changing beauty of the river and combine them in a way that people would appreciate from both near and far,” shared Godley. “The casino is an integral part of the fabric of Philadelphia and this SugarHouse-commissioned public art represents that commitment today, and for years to come.”

With a background in fine arts, Godley is a designer who brings form and beauty to functional objects. Her designs, as both an individual and as a partner of Godley-Schwan (1984–1998), have been exhibited internationally and are in numerous public and private collections, including The Museum of Modern Art, The Jewish Museum and the Museum of Art and Design in New York; Denver Museum of Art; Indianapolis Museum of Art; MUDE Design Museum in Lisbon, Portugal and Gallery 68 in Cologne, Germany; the Design Center, and the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.

In addition to her studio work, Godley has been active in educating future designers. For 15 years she taught product design at Parsons School of Design in New York. She is currently an associate professor at Philadelphia University in Philadelphia.

ABOUT SUGARHOUSE CASINO

SugarHouse, which opened in September 2010 as Philly’s casino, features 1,891 slots, up to 106 table games, fun and unique dining options, riverfront views and free on-site parking. The casino employs approximately 1,700 people, and for five consecutive years it has been voted a “Best Place to Work” by the Philadelphia Business Journal and a “Top Workplace” by Philly.com four years in a row. For more information, visit www.sugarhousecasino.com.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The light sculpture can be viewed in real time at the SugarHouse Casino construction cam link http://oxblue.com/open/Skanska/SugarHouse.