Artist Leo Villareal said he learned that art could be stripped down and be much less than he had previously conceived, during a lecture about creating sculptures from light Oct. 22 in Milstein Auditorium.

Villareal also discussed "Cosmos," his new LED installation at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, installed above the museum's Mallin Sculpture Court.

Villareal said he grew up interested in structure and how things worked. He went on to earn a B.A. from Yale University and a graduate degree at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in the Interactive Telecommunications Program, where he learned to use then-high-tech graphics programs.

He moved to Palo Alto, Calif., in 1994 to work with media artist Michael Naimark at Interval Research Corp., using stereo imaging and image-based modeling to create a virtual hike through the Banff National Forest in Canada.

Villareal said he originally mounted "Strobe Matrix" on top of his RV in 1997 at Burning Man, an art event in Nevada. After Burning Man, Villareal covered the 16 strobe lights that made up the sculpture with a piece of Plexiglas to mute the intensity of the light and programmed a sequence. This became the first of many programmed light sculptures he would create.

He said he started out writing simple programs and code, but he eventually began creating programs that would make his sculptures more complex.

His art soon became more prominent with such pieces as "Supercluster," a 45-by-120-foot light matrix on the scaffolding of the contemporary art museum MoMA PS1 in Long Island City, N.Y. Villareal said this piece was in an area with many advertising billboards, and his work was placed in a similar fashion, only it did not represent any marketing for a product or company.

Much of Villareal's aesthetic comes from the fact his work is very site-specific, he said. He noted that it is about "respecting the building, but wanting to add something to it" to ultimately create a "communal experience."

While he does not use music as a part of his sculptures, Villareal said that his work "has a strong relationship with music and music composition." He added he looks forward to hearing what "Cosmos" sounds like to its public audience, as the light sequencing is random and can have different meanings or sounds to different viewers.

One of his upcoming projects is "The Bay Lights," an installation of LED lights spanning the western side of the San Francisco Bay Bridge. The project is set to open in 2013.

Lisa and Richard Baker '88, supporters of the Johnson Museum and the Baker Program in Real Estate, commissioned "Cosmos." The Bakers have supported established and emerging artists through a foundation overseen by Lisa Baker.

"Cosmos" is on display day and night at the Johnson Museum through the academic year; an ending date has not been announced.

Julian Montijo '15 is a writer intern for the Cornell Chronicle.