From sunrise to sunset, you can now virtually meditate inside Ellsworth Kelly’s Texas fantasia

In honour of Ellsworth Kelly’s birthday on Sunday, the Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas in Austin has created a live stream that allows people to remotely sample the play of light and color in the artist’s landmark work Austin. A 2,715 sq. ft limestone building completed in 2018 to Kelly’s design, the work features luminous stained glass windows that bend the light in varying ways as well as abstract black-and-white marble panels and totemic sculptures. Two webcams will be focused from sunrise to sunset on Tumbling Squares and Starburst, the window formations that receive the most sunlight at this time of year. (During the spring and summer, Tumbling Squares is best viewed around 8:30 to 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Central time; Starburst is best viewed around 5:45 to 6:45 p.m.) The design concept was the final work by the artist, who died at 92 in 2015. “Ellsworth Kelly said that he wanted Austin to be a place of calm and light,” says Simone Wicha, the museum’s director. “People worldwide can now take a peek from home and have that joyful, soothing experience virtually.”