Lucent isn’t your typical lobby ornament—it’s a shimmering hemisphere of glass and light that brings the cosmos indoors. Installed in 2015, this sculpture combines art, architecture, and astronomy to mesmerize visitors passing through the John Hancock Center. If you’re ever strolling Michigan Avenue, Lucent offers a pause: a chance to look up, reflect, and feel a sense of scale beyond skyscrapers.
This artwork captures more than just light—it weaves in history, craft, and scientific precision. Designed by English artist Wolfgang Buttress in collaboration with astrophysicist Dr. Daniel Bayliss, Lucent is the first major permanent piece by Buttress in the United States. It’s not huge in volume, but its presence is bold.
Key Highlights
Lucent is a statement in delicate complexity. The sculpture is a 4-meter diameter hemisphere punctured with 3,115 holes, each hole corresponding to a star in the Northern Hemisphere visible to the naked eye. Fiber-optic cables shine through these points, and each is capped with a hand-blown glass orb that diffuses light into a soft glow.
Look up and you’ll see the ceiling acts as a mirror; look down and you’ll notice a shallow reflecting pool. These reflective surfaces multiply the image, suggesting a full sphere of light and giving the installation a sense of infinity. The effect is gentle, meditative, and surprisingly immersive given it’s in a lobby.
Though Lucent doesn’t move with you, it interacts with natural and artificial light. Many visitors mention it seems to pulse or twinkle—partly because of the fiber optics, partly due to the lighting changes in the lobby throughout the day. It responds to your presence mostly in perception.
Atmosphere & Décor
Walking into the lobby of the John Hancock Center with Lucent installed feels like entering a transitional space between the everyday and something poetic. The lobby is large and open; Lucent doesn’t block views, but complements the architectural grandeur. With mirrored polished steel above and reflective water below, Lucent floats in a context that enhances its lightness and its air of mystery.
Materials are elegant and precise: stainless steel, blown glass, fiber optics, mirror finish steel. There’s no gaudy ornamentation, no branding around the sculpture—it relies on the materials and their interplay with light and space. In quieter moments, the lobby empties out and Lucent seems to breathe; in busier times, it offers a pause in the flow of people, something for the eyes to rest on.
Other Considerations
Is it free / accessible? Yes. Since Lucent lives in the lobby of John Hancock Center, you don’t need a ticket or special pass to see it. Just head to the Chestnut Street lobby entrance.
Best time to visit? Early morning or near dusk, when natural light plays off the glass orbs, seems ideal. At night or under brighter artificial lighting, the reflections still work well but the subtle effects are more muted. If you’re after photos, brighter lighting helps, but the sculpture shines under soft, diffuse light.
Crowd & visibility issues? Because the lobby is a public building, there can be traffic from shoppers, office workers, tourists. The sculpture is “tucked away” somewhat—not the first thing most people notice on Michigan Avenue. You may have to look for the correct lobby entrance (Chestnut / E. Chestnut side) to spot Lucent.
Take your time. Lucent isn’t an attraction you rush through. To fully appreciate the effect of reflection, the glass orbs, and the positional mapping of stars, it helps to stay a few minutes: walk around, shift your viewing angle, see how light plays across different surfaces.
Lucent
📍 875 N Michigan Ave, John Hancock Center, Chicago, IL 60611-1803
Website: https://www.wolfgangbuttress.com/lucent-projectdetails
