‘Light Totem’ to return with color

For incoming freshmen and returning students, another Hoosier activity will be available to be checked off the IU Bucket List after its nearly one-year long hiatus.

The well-known “Light Totem” that had been placed outside the IU Art Museum will finally be showing its colors June 21 during the “Midsummer Night at the Art Museum” ceremony.

“It’s going to be fantastic,” Linda Baden, associate director for Editorial and
Marketing Services, said in an email. “The museum’s Midsummer Night event usually draws a large crowd, and to top that off with the Totem relighting should make for a very festive and crowded celebration.”

The Midsummer Night ceremony will be from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday and will include gallery tours, food vendors, music by regional favorites the Dynamics along with other events.

Students who have spent nights outside the museum and watched the light show reflecting onto the wall are eager for the return of the sculpture, as is the designer of the “Light Totem,” Rob Shakespeare.

“I am ecstatic!” he said in an email. “It was most frustrating to take it down about 15 months ago. Since the announcement of Light Totem’s resurrection, the sentiment has become quite joyous.”

Upon its physical reinstallation May 12, the public was able to see the new totem, although no drastic changes were made to the piece.

Shakespeare said the “Light Totem” has the same appearance, but it is 3/4 of an inch taller because of a thicker base plate built for permanence. It’s constructed of completely recyclable aluminum, and its lighting consumes about the same energy as a hair dryer.

“The lighting was essentially new when Light Totem was taken down, so all units were reinstalled,” Shakespeare said. “I have composed a few new light songs and light bridges between pieces which will be revealed Saturday night.”

Since its absence, the IU Art Museum had been contacted by many students and citizens of Bloomington regarding the totems disappearance and inquiring about its return.

“I personally know how much it was missed by the emails I received from both campus and community members,” Baden said. “I imagine visiting the Totem at night was a great way for groups of students to bond with each other.”

Shakespeare said members of the Bloomington community shared how they enjoy driving by it with out-of-town guests. Even early morning exercisers have commented on enjoying the “Light Totem” during their predawn workout. 

The “Light Totem” was not originally meant to be a long-term structure, but its popularity among students and the community convinced the IU trustees to make it permanent.

“The walls of multicolored light seems to delight most visitors, and similar to the effect of a campfire, it appears to cause reflection and conversation amongst the people that gather around it,” Shakespeare said. “Weddings, concerts, silent raves, feet up the wall, even the bucket list, all speak to how the Light Totem has been embraced by the community.”

The evening will include various events celebrating the return of the “Light Totem.” Visitors will even be able to experience gallery tours featuring works of art that evoke the power of light.  

“For students, Light Totem is a barrier-free, fun way to interact with an exciting piece of art that was very much designed with them in mind,” Baden said.