Texas Rising, 2014

Joe O’Connell and Blessing Hancock

American
Stainless Steel and LED Lights

The stainless steel and LED light sculptures depict stars in various stages of emerging from the ground. They are made from perforated stainless steel and lit from within by colored LED lights. The cutout symbols in each of the sculptures relate to Texas Tech traditions and campus life and also contains hidden icons that viewers are challenged to discover. One of the pieces incorporates a touch sensor that allows viewers to interact directly with it to change the color of the LED lights.

The artists were inspired by the symbol of a star as it relates to the state of Texas, and conceptually, the various sculptures represent different stages in the development of a student.