Documented artwork / illuminated tree sculpture

Aurora

An illuminated weeping-willow sculpture whose LEDs change color across thousands of copper leaves. The artist documents installations at Burning Man, Palo Alto City Hall, and Robina Town Centre, providing a history of both festival and civic presentations.

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Documented work. Current availability, ownership and installation requirements must be confirmed with the artist.

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Image: charlesgadeken.com ↗

At a glance

Year / version: 2011 (documented Burning Man installation)
Materials: hand-beaten copper leaves, LED lights
Documented setting: outdoor
Dimensions: 30 ft high; trunk 8 ft in diameter; 40 ft canopy.
Dimensions apply to: Artist project-page description of Aurora; dimensions do not include site clearance or transport packaging.
Availability: Unconfirmed

Places & versions

Installation history

Historical presentations. A past installation does not establish the current location or suitability for a new site.

2011
Burning Man
Event
Burning Man
Start year
2011
Installation details checked 2026-10-17.
Installation source
2013–2015
Palo Alto City Hall
Site
Palo Alto City Hall
Start year
2013
End year
2015
Date meaning
listing
Installation details checked 2026-10-17.
Installation source
2016
Robina Town Centre, Queensland, Australia
Site
Robina Town Centre
State / region
Queensland
Country
AU
Start year
2016
Installation details checked 2026-10-17.
Installation source

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Research notes for project planning

How this work was made and presented

Studio account and multi-site exhibition history

Daytime material and nighttime canopy

Charles Gadeken’s Aurora uses the form of a willow tree to connect a large illuminated canopy with the scale of individual metal leaves. The studio describes thousands of hand-shaped copper leaves and records presentations at Burning Man, Palo Alto and Robina. This combination makes the work a useful example of an installation whose daytime material character remains relevant after its lighting becomes the evening focus. A site brief could evaluate both views, including how surrounding architecture frames the canopy and how people encounter its surface at closer range.

Charles Gadeken — Aurora ↗ · Reviewed 2026-10-10

For your project brief

How will the canopy read against the site in daylight as well as after dark?

Big Art Partners planning prompt

King Plaza, Palo Alto, 2013–2015

A civic plaza can host a sustained temporary work

Palo Alto’s public art record places Aurora in King Plaza at 250 Hamilton Avenue from November 2013 to October 2015. The city identifies the installation within its temporary public art program and describes a steel tree animated by LED lighting. This documented civic setting offers a precedent for a work remaining part of everyday public space across multiple seasons. For another host, the relevant planning discussion is how a temporary artwork’s maintenance, interpretation and evening presence fit the plaza’s ordinary activities throughout the exhibition period.

City of Palo Alto — Aurora ↗ · Reviewed 2026-10-10

For your project brief

Who would maintain and interpret the work across a multi-season temporary placement?

Big Art Partners planning prompt

Light art installations ↗Outdoor sculpture & installations ↗Art documented at Burning Man ↗