Fluorescent cords attached to black rebar frames form this sculptural installation, which American firm Hou de Sousa has created for Washington DC.

The Prismatic installation is on view in the Senator Charles H Percy Plaza in Georgetown Waterfront Park, which overlooks the Potomac River. The artwork, which covers 700 square feet (65 square metres), is meant to frame different views and offer a "kaleidoscopic experience of light, colour and space" according to New York-based studio Hou de Sousa.
"The piece is unique on all sides, encouraging the public to explore the exterior, as well as meander through its translucent 'streets'," the firm said in a statement.

Square in plan, the installation consists of nine different forms, each varying in size and shape. The sculptural sections are composed of fluorescent cords attached to a light-weight steel lattice. Openings between the cords produce a visual effect known as moiré, in which wavy patterns are created from the overlay of repeating details.
"As visitors turn their gaze or walk about the space, patterns in the background and foreground continuously converge and delaminate, resulting in the perception that static surfaces are somehow in motion," the studio said.

The design was influenced by various geometric and contextual elements – and was developed in stages. The designers began by dividing a box into prisms that radiate from a central point. Next, they integrated cont...