Artist's outdoor sculpture relieves winter blues

James Yamada's The summer shelter retreats darkly among the trees (2011), at Parasol unit, London. Photo Stephen White.


Commissioned by the London private gallery Parasol unit, the American artist James Yamada has designed a pavilion that can relieve the effects of the mid-winter blues, the depression that is clinically referred to as SAD (seasonal affective disorder). A simple aluminum structure of four trunks holding up a flat roof, the pavilion incorporates 28 light elements that recreate the intensity of the "full spectrum of light," 10,000 lux. Exposure to such light is recognized as a treatment for SAD, which is strongly linked to lack of sunlight during winter months. Entitled The summer shelter retreats darkly among the trees, the installation is the first in Parasol unit's "Parasolstice - Winter Light" series of outdoor projects. The work, which is also supported by Arts Council England, was unveiled Nov 22 and remains on view through Mar 18, 2012.