Illumination I a new outdoor sculpture by Michael Somoroff will be on the grounds of The Rothko Chapel November 12, 2006–January 15, 2007

Light is often a symbol of the divine, the spiritual. Available without discrimination to all, light contributes to our well-being. The Rothko Chapel, too, is open to all and, as an institution, serves to celebrate the divine in each of us, while advocating for the rights of all peoples. It is in this spirit that The Rothko Chapel has invited Michael Somoroff to place his sculpture, Illumination I, on the Chapel grounds from November 12, 2006, to January 15, 2007.

The movement of the sun’s light as abstracted from The Rothko Chapel has been synthesized into the imaginary world of this sculpture. Illumination I is described by the artist as a depiction of light, a spiritual metaphor suggesting compassion, community, sharing, and the struggle between good and evil. It is large enough for one to venture inside and encounter the kind of experience often associated with sacred environments. There the light is transformed into a substantive symbol of the spiritual. Like The Rothko Chapel, this sculpture aims to be a contemplative space that serves as the beginning of a journey toward “illumination.”

Using the original floor plans of The Rothko Chapel, Somoroff created a video animation of an imaginary Mosque by compositing three-dimensional extrapolations of photographs he collected of various actual mosques, including some of those destroyed in war-torn Iraq and Afghanistan. Situating this mosque at the location of The Rothko Chapel in the virtual space of his computer, Somoroff was able to chart the movement of sun’s light as it actually falls on the Chapel, applying it to the composite mosque he created. Illumination 1 measures approximately twenty feet high and is thirty-seven feet wide. It is made from various materials: fiberglass, resin, and lime cement. The surface of the sculpture draws on the long artistic tradition of depicting spiritual light by layering pigmented lime plasters on top of each other, such as was done in religious European fresco painting. Somoroff describes the genesis of his piece in the following terms: “Illumination I is a sculptural translation of light falling through the ruins of an imaginary Mosque. I found my original inspiration through my own experience at The Rothko Chapel, imagining it as a metaphysical stage wherein events from anywhere unfold on the horizon and matrix of eternity. Illumination I is a ‘Photoplastik,’ a sculptural, photo-based work, created with the aid of the computer and “new media” technology, that pushes the boundaries and changes the very grammar of photography while placing it into the very forefront and threshold of contemporary art. With Illumination I, I present the radical idea that it is possible to extend the medium of photography from the figurative into the realm of sculpture.”