Overview
Morris Bicentennial Plaza is a public gathering space in downtown Indianapolis, next to Gainbridge Fieldhouse. At its center stands “Sphere,” a 23-foot, 9-inch mirrored dome sculpture by international artist Herman Mejia — its height set intentionally to the NBA three-point distance as a nod to the Pacers and Fever.
From the outside, Sphere is a faceted, mirror-clad dome that reflects the plaza around it. Step into its archway and the interior comes alive: a curved, programmable LED canvas that plays the history of the Indianapolis Bicentennial, civic artwork, and rotating visuals. Ellumiglow provided the addressable LED video system at the heart of that experience — engineered to wrap the dome's interior geometry and run as a permanent, all-weather public installation.
The Challenge
This was not a flat screen on a wall. The artwork demanded that light and motion live inside a sculptural dome — curved, permanent, outdoors, and held to the standard of a piece of public art that the whole city would see every day.
The display had to follow a curve. Flat LED panels can't conform to a dome's interior arch. The video surface had to bend with the sculpture's geometry while keeping consistent brightness and pixel density across the curve.
It had to survive outdoors, permanently. Sun, rain, heat, and cold are constant, and a civic landmark can't go dark. The system needed weather-rated components and the reliability to run continuously for years.
It had to be daylight-legible and night-dramatic. The content — historical figures, dates, artwork — has to read clearly in direct afternoon sun and still feel cinematic after dark.
It had to be fully programmable. The plaza's partners needed to schedule and rotate content — bicentennial history, art, and event visuals — without re-touching the hardware.
Core Problem
A curved, permanent, outdoor LED canvas embedded in a fine-art sculpture is one of the most demanding experiential builds there is. It combines the conformity problem of curved video, the durability problem of permanent outdoor installation, and the content problem of a programmable civic display — all while disappearing into the artwork rather than competing with it.
The Solution
Ellumiglow supplied the addressable LED video system integrated into Sphere — individually addressable pixels driven as a single programmable canvas that conforms to the dome's interior archway.
Conformed to the geometry. Rather than force a flat panel into a round space, the LED layout was built to follow the curve of the dome's interior, so the imagery wraps the arch as one continuous, seamless surface.
Built for permanent outdoor life. Weather-rated, high-brightness components were specified so the display stays legible in full daylight and runs reliably through Indiana's full range of seasons — as a landmark that's expected to operate every day, not a temporary activation.
Fully programmable content. Because every pixel is addressable, the plaza can play and schedule whatever it needs — the timeline of the Indianapolis Bicentennial, portraits of historical figures, civic artwork, and event visuals — and change it over time without touching the structure.
In service to the art. The technology sits inside Herman Mejia's mirrored sculpture and serves it — the LED canvas is the glowing heart of the piece, framed by the faceted, reflective dome around it.
System Specifications
| Display type | Addressable LED video — curved canvas |
| Geometry | Conformed to the dome's interior archway |
| Content | Programmable — bicentennial history, art, event visuals |
| Environment | Permanent outdoor — weather-rated, high-brightness |
| Structure | 23′9″ mirrored faceted dome — artist Herman Mejia |
| Scope | LED video system — engineering, supply, integration |
Why Experiential Is Different
Experiential work lives where lighting, structure, content, and public space meet. The light isn't decoration on a finished object — it is the experience, and it has to perform on the artist's terms, the engineer's terms, and the public's terms at the same time.
Installations
Sculptural & Architectural
Light engineered into sculpture, structure, and public art — conformed to the geometry instead of bolted onto it.
Brand Activations
Immersive Moments
Programmable, photographable environments for launches, sponsorships, and civic events.
Public Realm
Permanent Landmarks
All-weather, always-on displays built to the reliability standard of civic infrastructure.
Programmable Media
Content That Evolves
Addressable canvases that the venue can re-program and re-theme for years without touching the build.
Outcome
✓
Curved LED canvas conformed to the dome's interior geometry
✓
Permanent outdoor installation — daylight-legible, all-season
✓
Fully programmable — bicentennial history, art, and event content
✓
In daily public use as a downtown Indianapolis landmark
Sphere shows what experiential lighting looks like at its most demanding: a curved, programmable, permanent LED canvas living inside a piece of public art that the city sees every day. The technology serves the artwork — and keeps performing, season after season.
What This Means for Your Project
If you're an artist, developer, municipality, or brand planning an installation, an activation, or an immersive environment — especially one with curved geometry, permanent outdoor demands, or programmable content — this is the type of work Ellumiglow is built for.
We engineer light into structure: curved and addressable LED, weather-rated for the public realm, and programmable so the experience can evolve over time. We work alongside artists, architects, and project teams to make the light serve the vision.
Tell us about your installation or activation and we'll scope the lighting and media around it.
Planning an Installation or Activation?
We engineer addressable, curved, and weather-rated LED into sculpture, structure, and public space — design through programming. Built to serve the art and last in the field.
Start a Project →- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
