"Emptyful" Sculpture at the Millennium Library Plaza

For this flask-like public artwork, Lumenfacade RGB LED luminaires are used to create a show of light, water and fog. The result is an eye-catching sculpture that has attracted hundreds to downtown Winnipeg.

As part of Winnipeg's Public Art Program, Vancouver-based Pechet Studio won an international competition to create a public artwork to invigorate the center of the city. Together with artist Bill Pechet and lighting co-designer Chris Pekar of Lightworks, Lumenpulse provided the illumination for the urban sculpture, called Emptyful, in downtown Winnipeg. Standing 35 feet high and 31 feet wide, the stainless steel frame of a flask-like structure has been installed at the Millennium Library Plaza.

Funded by the Canadian government and the City, the $575,000 artwork represents the idea that something can be empty and full at the same time. "It was influenced by the phenomenon of weather and human endeavor," Pechet says. "When you first visit Winnipeg, it can appear empty and open, set amidst the vastness of prairie and sky. But within, the city is full of creative energy."

Lumenfacade RGB LED luminaires are embedded into a beam that transects the flask, lighting fog that emerges from above while a curtain of water cascades down. The enchanting lightshow comes to life at night, attracting hundreds of viewers to the plaza to see it in action. "It's brought excitement into the city," Pechet says.

During the winter months, the water and fog will be turned off but Emptyful will continue to display a color-changing light scheme. In its winter settings of oranges, tangerines, and golds, the lights will produce what Pechet calls "glowing embers to warm up the cool nights."

Equipment Specified

28 x Lumenfacade Color Changing

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Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Market: Arts + Culture
Artist: Bill Pechet

Lighting for ‘Emptyful’ had to be slender, discreet, and powerful. We brought Lumenpulse into the process early and designed the beam with their fixtures in mind. They were perfect for the project.

Bill Pechet
Pechet Studio