Lucite International, owner of the LuciteLux^® acrylic brand, today announced “Crossing Signal Mosaic”, a light sculpture installation in Emeryville, is the winner of its third annual JUST IMAGINE Awards. Part of the City of Emeryville Art in Public Places Program, “Crossing Signal Mosaic” by artist Thérèse Lahaie integrates LuciteLux^® Spectrum in Opal White Acrylic, along with programmed LED technology.
Lahaie completed the project in 2015 at Parc on Powell Apartments. In a competitive housing market, developer Equity Residential wanted a dynamic work of art that would infuse life into its building and attract young renters. The City of Emeryville Art in Public Places Committee sought an installation that would combine art and technology to reflect a focus on neighboring businesses and companies. In “Crossing Signal Mosaic” each request was met with a light-based installation using LuciteLux^® acrylic.
For over 30 years, Lahaie has designed with light and glass. Due to the scale, weight and code restrictions associated with this project, she had to consider other diffuser materials. She discovered LuciteLux^® and knew the acrylic would fit the constraints without compromising her vision.
“When I began research for the project, my video documentation of the saturated colors and rhythms of the pedestrian crossing signals were the most compelling images,” said Lahaie. “In ‘Crossing Signal Mosaic’ I decided to transform the ordinary iconography of these traffic signals by creating a conversation with the adjacent intersection and inviting a playful interaction between the signals and viewers. The crossing signals characters in the sculpture can be whatever color they want, and they can wave and dance. I selected LuciteLux^® Spectrum because of its large sheet size, reflective characteristics and fantastic transmission of backlit RGB LEDs. These features were critical for the sculpture I had envisioned.”
The JUST IMAGINE Awards celebrate designers who embrace the originality of working with, and creating light sculpture using LuciteLux^® acrylic. Receiving this award recognizes a designer’s achievement in their field, and celebrates their distinctive contribution to the world of design using the material.
“The ‘Crossing Signal Mosaic’ is a spectacular work of public art,” said Chris Robinson, business manager for Lucite International, who also served as a JUST IMAGINE Awards judge. “It showcases the relevance of LuciteLux^® to the lighting design category and is a source of inspiration for designers across industries to use LuciteLux^® for their work in functional and aesthetic-LED applications.”
LuciteLux^® Spectrum acrylic offers excellent brightness and evenness of illumination and has been specifically formulated to give optimized color performance with both transmitted and reflected light using white LEDs. Another reason Lahaie chose LuciteLux^® is its suitability for ceiling mounted applications that must meet strict earthquake codes in California.
Lahaie worked with Milwaukee-based Sign Effectz-AFX for the fabrication of her award-winning light sculpture, with engineering support from artifacts.
As the winner of the JUST IMAGINE Awards 2015, LuciteLux^® will celebrate Lahaie with a high-profile promotional campaign that includes a full-page spread in Architectural Record and a ‘making of’ documentary-style video about her work and artistic vision.
The runner-up of the JUST IMAGINE Awards 2015 is Envel Design for its luminous ENVELEX “floating shelf” system at the Golden Nugget Casino properties in both Las Vegas and Lake Charles, Louisiana.
To learn more about this year’s winner, please visit https://lucitelux.com/just-imagine-awards.  
About LuciteLux^®
Manufactured by Lucite International, LuciteLux^® continuous and cell cast acrylic is as tough as it is beautiful. It resists scratching and has built-in UV protection, which keeps colors true over time. The material is easy to cut, join, form and fabricate and is available in an array of colors, textures and thicknesses. These features, coupled with excellent optical clarity and light transmission qualities, make LuciteLux® acrylic ideal for use in point-of-sale, display, signage, furnishings, fashion accessories, interior design and more.
For more information, visit www.lucitelux.com, https://www.facebook.com/LuciteLux or https://www.pinterest.com/lucite/