Royale Projcts : Contemporary Art] – On the weekend of October 12th in Joshua Tree, California, artist Phillip K Smith III revealed his light based project, Lucid Stead. Composed of mirror, LED lighting, custom-built electronic equipment and Arduino programming amalgamated with a preexisting structure, this architectural intervention, at first, seems alien in context to the bleak landscape. Upon further viewing, Lucid Stead imposes a delirious, almost spiritual experience.
Like the enveloping vista that changes hue as time passes, Lucid Stead transforms. In daylight the 70-year-old homesteader shack, that serves as the armature of the piece, reflects and refracts the surrounding terrain like a mirage or a hallucination. As the sun tucks behind the mountains, slowly shifting, geometric color fields emerge until they hover in the desolate darkness. This transformation also adapts personal perception, realigning one’s sensory priorities. A heightened awareness of solitude and the measured pace of the environment is realized.