Light Totem Goes Dark
The iconic Light Totem that activates every night at dusk in front of the Indiana University Art Museum has gone dark. Light Totem, Robert Shakespeare's site-specific outdoor light sculpture, will be dimmed until a manufacturer's firmware problem can be corrected. Firmware internally controls the LED units that light the Totem tower.

Since 2007, when Light Totem was commissioned as part of the Art Museum's celebration of the 25th anniversary of its I.M. Pei building, Professor Shakespeare's sculpture has been an irresistible magnet for students and visitors, who come each night to bask in its dancing, multicolor lights. This 70-foot-tall structure, made of aluminum truss and arrayed with computer-controlled LED lights, originally was intended to be a temporary installation on display for three months; however, it quickly became a campus landmark. In February 2010, the IU Board of Trustees approved Light Totem as a permanent installation. In 2011, the LED units were replaced and the tower was renovated.

The museum is working closely with the manufacturer to remedy the situation, and we will provide updates as they become available.