The single word poem “lighght,” by Aram Saroyan, is the inspiration for Luftwerk’s site-specific installation at the Poetry Foundation. Saroyan describes his poem, a seminal work of minimalism, as operating like “electricity,” instant and continuous. Luftwerk’s immersive interpretation brings viewers inside an ever shifting prism of colored light, transforming the Poetry Foundation gallery into a dynamic lightbox.

Light and color are the core elements in Luftwerk’s artistic practice. Their interest is in the power of light as a crucial element of vision, whose dynamic relationship to color perception is explored. Through the use of various modalities—such as projection of videos, shadow casting, among others—they integrate light into each project to explore its fleeting and changing nature.

“lighght” was written by Saroyan in 1965 and first published in 1966. It became controversial after its inclusion in The American Literary Anthology, an early recipient of National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) funding. The Paris Review issued the poem as part of its “Print Series” of limited edition art prints in 1989.

Image Credit: Art by Luftwerk