Homage to the 23rd Letter

Signshops sometimes struggle to have their architectural and environmental graphics afforded the same respect as "traditional” art forms. However, Art Display Co. (Capitol Heights, MD) transformed signage into art through its fabrication of a 35-ft.-tall, LED-lit sculpture for The Shops at Wisconsin Place, the upscale, retail component of a multi-use, Chevy Chase, MD facility.

Art Display collaborated with Athena Tacha, an internationally acclaimed sculptor who designed the iconic structure. The vertical trio of “Ws” carries a dual meaning: It references the names of three primary routs adjoining the property – Wisconsin, Western and Willard – and, as a nod to the Information age, conveys the three ubiquitous letters Internet users type (short for "World Wide Web") for virtually all cyberspace addresses.

Art Display assembled the RGB LED tubes, and programmed them to change colors in varying, rhythmic progressions. The tubes are suspended with large aluminum beams and a network of steel cables that secure the sculpture in winds up to 70 mph.