Fire and Water

LESS IS MORE in the case of artist James Tapscott, who uses simple materials to create breathtaking portals of glowing mist. Since 2007, the Perth–born Australian has mastered the art of integrating natural or man-made phenomena into a landscape to create highly polished yet ephemeral artworks. Now, one of his artworks—an ongoing site-responsive project he began in 2009 called Arc ZERO—will be installed in the mountain valley of Green Mountain Falls, Colorado, for the 2024 iteration of the Green Box Arts Festival.

“I try to create bodily experiences that stimulate all senses,” says Tapscott, who uses an architectural sensibility to invent his artworks.

While in Colorado for a public art conference in 2022, the artist happened to travel through the town of Green Mountain Falls, where he met executive director of the Green Box Arts Festival, Scott Levy. Levy was intrigued by Tapscott’s work and jumped at the chance to bring Arc ZERO to the annual arts event.

“The juxtaposition of art in nature is one of the key elements of Green Box’s mission,” says Levy, “and James Tapscott’s work fits this idea beautifully.”

Green Box—which has a collection of permanent works across town (including a new James Turrell skyspace)—also has a sixteen-year history of showing temporal, site-specific artworks like Tapscott’s. His upcoming piece fits nicely into a timeline of artists, which includes Jason Hackenwerth, Janet Echelman, Daily tous les jours, and Patrick Dougherty.

Tapscott’s Arc ZERO, which the artist calls his “man-made attempt at a perfect curved form,” has been mounted several times in various global locations, from an old Buddhist temple in Japan to the Hans Christian Anderson Museum in Denmark. The piece evolves uniquely within each site.

“The main materials for the Arc ZERO work are water and light,” Tapscott says. “I’ve been working with them for around fifteen years, and I still learn something new each time. They are so chaotic but have such a beautiful synergy.”

The results of his experiments speak for themselves, and audiences cannot seem to get enough of his mesmerizing artworks.

“James is that unusual artist who harnesses the power of ephemeral elements to create impactful but fleeting images,” says Toni Sikes, CEO of CODAworx, a company that helps artists bring large-scale, commissioned artworks to fruition. “His artwork is haunting and beautiful at the same time.”

Tapscott worked with top-notch engineers in Japan while developing the first version of Arc ZERO and, over the years, has learned how his chosen materials behave across different environments. Mirror, steel, pumps, filters, and rigging combine for an evolving work completely dependent on the site itself.

The 2024 Green Box Arts Festival will offer a new outlet for Tapscott, who says he’s excited to see Arc ZERO engage with the Green Mountain Falls and Rocky Mountain ecosystem.

“The Green Box site seems to have a nice balance of infrastructure and natural beauty,” he says. “The bridge at the gazebo offers a perfect opportunity for people to engage with the work physically, connecting our bodies back to nature and the experience of water.”

Arc ZERO in Green Mountain Falls will debut at the Green Box Arts Festival on July 1, 2024.