Chroma
2024
Inspired by Joseph von Fraunhofer’s pioneering research on prisms and the solar spectrum, the public art installation Chroma channels sunlight into the building, where large-scale prisms split it into its spectral components.
Five prisms made of optical glass—enlarged replicas based on Fraunhofer’s originals—are suspended in the stairwell, transforming the building’s interior into a luminous space infused with the colors of the solar spectrum. A precisely engineered daylight guidance system, extending Chroma to the building’s roof surfaces, redirects sunlight onto the prisms, allowing them to interact dynamically with the ever-changing light.
As a dynamic, ever-changing installation, Chroma creates a sensory connection between the building’s users and the natural phenomena outside, making the interplay of optics and color an integral part of the architectural experience.

Category
public art, installation

Chroma, 2024
Light deflection system, mirrors, prisms, stainless steel, spectral colors of the sun

Public art installation, SPiN building, Fraunhofer-Institut Stuttgart-Vaihingen / Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft München

Photography: Andreas Sporn
© 2025 Hannah Zenger