Header: James Tapscott
Arc ZERO: Eclipse is a permanent light installation by designer James Tapscott, from Studio Jt Pty Ltd, created for the rooftop garden of a new mixed-use development in Seoul, South Korea.
The project is comprised of a eight-metre polished stainless-steel half-ring that rises from a custom-made reflecting pool. The missing half of the circle is completed by its reflection in the water, so the form only feels whole when the pool and the ring are seen together. The ring has a special diamond-shaped profile that helps visitors feel immersed, and is positioned to frame a nearby bridge when viewed from certain angles, tying the work back to Seoul’s skyline.
During the day, the installation looks like a simple form set in water, but at night its character changes. Light, mist, and air movement start to play a larger role, as a fine spray is illuminated from within the ring. The mist responds to wind and humidity, so the effect never looks exactly the same twice: sometimes the light appears softer, sometimes denser, but it always stays tied to the weather in that moment rather than feeling like a fixed show. This continues ideas from Tapscott’s earlier Nimbus works, but here the focus is more on how the piece sits in its surroundings and how people experience it as part of a larger rooftop garden.
The work is perfectly visible from a distance, even from cars on the nearby freeway, so it works as both an immersive feature for visitors on the roof and a clear marker in Seoul’s skyline. On the rooftop itself, it gives people a point on whih to lay their eyes and pause for a moment, look outward and notice the light, water and atmosphere together.
Arc ZERO: Eclipse forms part of Tapscott’s ongoing Arc ZERO series, which has been installed in different locations around the world. For this installation, water use has been reduced by carefully programming and fine-tuning the system, and the lighting uses energy-efficient LEDs, which keeps energy consumption lower while allowing the piece to function as a permanent feature.
