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Prismatica

Landed on the banks the Potomac River in Georgetown and at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Prismatica is a participatory installation comprising 25 pivoting prisms more than two metres tall.

Giant rotating kaleidoscopes are casting a rainbow glow for the holidays in two North American capital cities this month. Prismatica, a public art installation by RAW, has landed on the banks of the Potomac River in Georgetown, Washington D.C. as part of Georgetown GLOW. The same light-bending exhibit has simultaneously been installed on Parliament Hill in Ottawa as part of the Christmas Lights Across Canada Season.

Raw, Prismatica, installation view in Georgetown, 2016. Photo Sam Kittner — **Top:** Raw, *Prismatica*, installation view in Ottawa, 2016. Photo Doublespace photography. **Above:** Raw, *Prismatica*, installation view in Georgetown, 2016. Photo Sam Kittner

Prismatica is a participatory installation comprising 25 pivoting prisms more than two metres tall. Each one is made of panels covered with a dichroic film that reflects the colours of the rainbow, varying with the light source and viewing angle. Each prism is mounted on a base containing a projector that gives the installation a new dimension after nightfall. The rotation of the prisms triggers variable-intensity bell music. After sunset, the enormous interactive kaleidoscope’s illusory effects reach a crescendo.

“Prismatica was created to be fun, immersive and playful. We want people to forget about the cold and to get out and enjoy their respective cities in a new light,” adds Pierre-Alexandre Le Lay, one of Prismatica’s designers and architect at RAW.

Prismatica
Program: installation
Design: Raw
until 1 January 2017
Waterfront Park, Georgetown
until 7 January 2017
Parliament Hill, Ottawa

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Prismatica

Landed on the banks the Potomac River in Georgetown and at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Prismatica is a participatory installation comprising 25 pivoting prisms more than two metres tall.

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