William Pye Water Scupture

Starbursts

The Sainsbury Laboratory is a plant research centre completed in 2011, set in the University of Cambridge's Botanic Garden.

Four Starbursts have been set at ground level within the paving in the courtyard. Water is jetted from below and bursts onto discs of glass, where the droplets cling on and travel outwards, and eventually drop away. A beam of light is directed upwards within the jet and LED lights around the circumference, with programmable colour changes, illuminate the water across the glass.

I was one of three artists commisioned to make an artwork for the Laboratory, which was designed by Stanton Williams Architects.

For more information or to commission a similar piece, please send a request through the contact page on this website.

  • General view of the courtyard
  • Colour changing LED lighting

Maquette

  • Maquette
  • Maquette

Construction

  • Start of the work on site
  • Installation of the starbursts
  • One of the pumps being connected
  • Working on Starbursts installation
  • Installation of the starbursts
  • Preparation of the control panel to operate the LED lights

Completion and launch

  • view of completed starbursts
  • view of completed starbursts