Katie Paterson

Light bulb to Simulate Moonlight

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About this artwork

Light bulb to Simulate Moonlight was produced in conjunction with the lighting company OSRAM. It contains a sufficient quantity of light bulbs to provide a person with a lifetime supply of simulated moonlight. Each bulb burns for 2000 hours, and a ‘lifetime’ contains 289 bulbs, a calculation based on the average life-span for a human being alive in 2008 (when the artist produced the work). The viewer enters the darkened room and encounters a light bulb suspended on a long cable from the ceiling. The rest of the bulbs are lined up on shelves, awaiting their turn.

Updated before 2020

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  • artist:
    Katie Paterson (born 1981) Scottish
  • title:
    Light bulb to Simulate Moonlight
  • date created:
    2008
  • materials:
    Set of 289 light bulbs with halogen filament, frosted coloured shell, 28W, 4500K
  • object type:
  • credit line:
    Purchased with help from the Knapping Fund 2011
  • accession number:
    GMA 5172
  • gallery:
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Katie Paterson

Katie Paterson