Luminous Sculpture, 2025

Oculus Mirabilis, an illuminated sculpture by Philippe Cramer that blends art and craft with a dreamlike quality.

Designed around the circadian rhythm, a 24-hour cycle, this chrono-chromatic piece changes colors throughout the day. Inspired by the Ancient Egyptian belief that the sun dies at dusk and is reborn at dawn, Oculus Mirabilis evokes the eternal cycle of the Ouroboros, returning perpetually to its starting point after each complete cycle.

Oculus means ‘eye’, and Mirabilis means ‘amazing, wondrous, and remarkable’ in Latin. This artwork intrigues and captivates with its organic, natural rhythm. As it follows its never-ending cycle, the light emitted from the work transforms from gentle and diffuse, to vibrant and intense. Its colors express universal human emotions like joy, rage and bliss.

Handmade, the ring itself is created from delicately patinated fine plaster, emphasizing the subtlety of the work which comes to life when it is switched on. The matt background is transformed as the light itself takes on an almost tangible quality, with each new color delivering a new sensory dimension.

This new artwork will be presented to the public during the biennale Révélations at the Grand Palais in Paris.