As with the other two examples in the Collection, Bell created this work beginning with sheets of masked paper, which he places inside a large, high-vacuum coating chamber. Inside the chamber, thin films of metallic particles (like aluminum or Inconel) or non-metallic materials (like quartz) are vaporized and thus deposited onto the paper in varying degrees of transparency and opacity, creating a prismatic or gradient effect. Bell then cuts the coated paper into abstract shapes, inspired by figures or musical instruments. At the next stage of this complex process, the pieces are layered together and fused in a mounting press to form a complex composition, playing with the interaction of light, color, and texture
For a fuller description of the process, see Larry Bell on inspiration, preparation, and practice (Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami)
