'Arc ZERO: Eclipse' Brings Mist and Light Installation to Seoul's Skyline
“It’s an oculus, but not a simulation.”
Summary
- Arc ZERO: Eclipse by Studio JT brings a glowing ring of mist and light to Seoul
- The installation uses water and light, not screens, for a real-time atmospheric effect
- Built with The Ton, it follows a CODA Award-winning version in Taiwan
A monumental new public artwork has landed in Seoul, turning heads and shifting the skyline with an ethereal presence. Titled Arc ZERO: Eclipse, the large-scale oculus installation by designer James Tapscott and his team at Studio JT forms a ring of mist and light suspended in space.
The structure, fabricated with a bespoke diamond-profile ring, disperses water vapor in a precise, controlled flow. As the mist rises, it catches the shifting light of Seoul’s day and night, creating a glowing halo that subtly evolves with the atmosphere. Designed to minimize surface reflections and maximize immersion, the installation appears almost weightless.
Unlike digital spectacles that dominate contemporary public art, Arc ZERO: Eclipse uses a minimalist technological setup. It relies on raw physical principles such as water, wind, gravity and light to deliver its magic. “It’s an oculus, but not a simulation,” Tapscott told designboom. “It’s real, responsive and alive.”
The Seoul installation is the latest in a global series, following a celebrated permanent piece in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, which earned a 2023 CODA Award for landscape art. Local production and installation were managed in collaboration with Korean firm The Ton.
