Friendship Through 8ft Tubes

2024 – Ongoing

Installation Overview

Through additive and subtractive color theory, Dani Kaes and Jacob Willcox use RGB (red, green, and blue) lighting to explore their relationship with the commercial signage industry. Friendship Through 8ft Tubes is created from salvaged units from various commercial jobs, bringing together the three tenets of neon fabrication – industry, science, and art. In this installation, Kaes and Willcox use a classic RGB color palette to create a saturated installation with a neutral light output. The result is an interactive environment in which the viewer can explore shadow play - a unique feature in additive color theory (which describes how red, green, and blue light combine to create an entire spectrum of colors).

Friendship Through 8ft Tubes considers the emotional and physical labor put into discarded neon signage units, as well as the give and take needed to form a harmonious friendship seen in the light output.

Artist Info

Danielle “Dani” Kaes is a light artist and educator based in Seattle, Washington. Starting as a traditional glassblower as part of the Hilltop Artist program in 2012, she transitioned into neon in 2015 after apprenticing as a commercial neon bender in a prominent Seattle sign shop.

Jacob Willcox is a glass and light artist from Tacoma, Washington, where he began working with glass in 2012 through the Hilltop Artists program. He went on to study at Alfred University where he obtained his BFA with concentrations in glass and neon in 2021.

Featured Images

Image Credits

Dani Kaes (American, born 1995) Jacob Willcox (American, born 1998). Friendship Through 8ft Tubes, 2024. Salvaged neon tubing, transformers. Courtesy of the artists. Photo courtesy of the artists.