Light Between the Islands background by Grimanesa Amoros
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SISTRUM

Grimanesa Amorós SISTRUM — site-specific LED art and light sculpture at Villa Escandón, Mexico City. A stainless steel and reflective dome LED sculpture that captures and refracts a custom light sequence, drawing viewers into a meditative space inspired by ancient Egyptian ceremony. Art light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós SISTRUM — site-specific LED art and light sculpture at Villa Escandón, Mexico City. A stainless steel and reflective dome LED sculpture that captures and refracts a custom light sequence, drawing viewers into a meditative space inspired by ancient Egyptian ceremony. Art light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós SISTRUM — site-specific LED art and light sculpture at Villa Escandón, Mexico City. A stainless steel and reflective dome LED sculpture that captures and refracts a custom light sequence, drawing viewers into a meditative space inspired by ancient Egyptian ceremony. Art light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós SISTRUM — site-specific LED art and light sculpture at Villa Escandón, Mexico City. A stainless steel and reflective dome LED sculpture that captures and refracts a custom light sequence, drawing viewers into a meditative space inspired by ancient Egyptian ceremony. Art light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós SISTRUM — site-specific LED art and light sculpture at Villa Escandón, Mexico City. A stainless steel and reflective dome LED sculpture that captures and refracts a custom light sequence, drawing viewers into a meditative space inspired by ancient Egyptian ceremony. Art light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós SISTRUM — site-specific LED art and light sculpture at Villa Escandón, Mexico City. A stainless steel and reflective dome LED sculpture that captures and refracts a custom light sequence, drawing viewers into a meditative space inspired by ancient Egyptian ceremony. Art light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós SISTRUM — site-specific LED art and light sculpture at Villa Escandón, Mexico City. A stainless steel and reflective dome LED sculpture that captures and refracts a custom light sequence, drawing viewers into a meditative space inspired by ancient Egyptian ceremony. Art light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós SISTRUM — site-specific LED art and light sculpture at Villa Escandón, Mexico City. A stainless steel and reflective dome LED sculpture that captures and refracts a custom light sequence, drawing viewers into a meditative space inspired by ancient Egyptian ceremony. Art light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós SISTRUM — site-specific LED art and light sculpture at Villa Escandón, Mexico City. A stainless steel and reflective dome LED sculpture that captures and refracts a custom light sequence, drawing viewers into a meditative space inspired by ancient Egyptian ceremony. Art light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amorós SISTRUM — site-specific LED art and light sculpture at Villa Escandón, Mexico City. A stainless steel and reflective dome LED sculpture that captures and refracts a custom light sequence, drawing viewers into a meditative space inspired by ancient Egyptian ceremony. Art light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós.
Grimanesa Amoros video thumbnail for SISTRUM

Location: Villa Escandon | Mexico City, DF, 2024
14 ft 10 in x 9 ft 8 in x 11 ft (4.52 m x 2.95 m x 3.07 m)
Stainless steel, diffusion material and reflective material, LEDs, custom lighting sequence, and electrical hardware.

SISTRUM is a 14-foot site-specific light sculpture commissioned for a private residence in Mexico City, its reflective dome and custom LED sequence drawing on the ceremonial power of the ancient Egyptian sistrum rattle to create a luminous sanctuary where music, myth, and the mystery of the afterlife converge.

  • Named for the sacred percussion instrument used in ancient Egyptian ritual, SISTRUM connects the commissioner’s personal passion for music with one of humanity’s oldest ceremonial traditions, positioning the work as both a deeply personal commission and a meditation on sound as a divine force.
  • The sculpture’s central reflective dome captures and refracts a custom lighting sequence, drawing viewers into their own reflection and into a meditative space that Amorós conceived as a contemporary threshold between the living world and what lies beyond it.
  • Shaped by her travels across Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas, Amorós found that every culture she encountered shares a vision of what guides the soul after death, and SISTRUM distills that universal human preoccupation into a single luminous form.
  • The work offers its viewer a sanctuary from modern life, a space of solitude and independence in which light becomes the medium for private reflection on the largest questions of existence.

    • >SISTRUM is a site-specific lighting sculpture combining ancient Egypt’s mystical power with ceremonial music. The piece draws inspiration from the commissioner’s passion for music and the ancient world, aiming to create a timeless and immersive experience for viewers.

    The piece transports its audience into a divine space. The artist has learned about the different afterlife concepts through her travels in Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. They all have in common a guide on what’s to come. The artwork offers a sanctuary from modern life, where moments of independence and solitude invite viewers to reflect and connect with themselves. The sculpture’s interactivity centers around a reflective dome, which captures and refracts a custom light sequence. Through their reflection, viewers are drawn into a meditative space that transcends the physical world, prompting contemplation on life, death, and the journey beyond.

    Photo courtesy of Grimanesa Amorós.