Richard Elliot | 2008

Along MetroLink Right of Way near Interstate 70
RayOLite roadway reflectors on 16 concrete Jersey barriers
2′ 6″ h. x 207′ w. x 1′ 10″ d.

St. Louis Rhythm, one of Richard Elliott’s final pieces, is activated by the headlights of passing cars.  Its pattern ripples and evolves as viewers speed by its changing colors.  Richard Elliott transformed simple, utilitarian materials into a dramatic, ever-changing art piece.  Elliott became well known for his colorful, light-activated patterns based on geometric and organic shapes found across cultures and throughout art history.  He believed that pronounced patterns are attractive to all people because of their transcendent qualities, saying, “Often, what these patterns speak about is a mystical or spiritual unity within the living fabric.  They act as doors, windows and bridges connecting the individual or group to the unseen world.  Our spirit instinctually ascends when we encounter them.”[1]

Commissioned by Arts in Transit for Metro Transit St. Louis.

[1] Sheila Farr. Richard C. Elliott Primal Op. (Salem, Oregon: Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University, 2014)