Prismatic Construction

The Prismatic Constructions occupied Pecoraro longer than any other body of work — an unbroken run from 1977 to 1983, and the most widely reviewed art he ever made. Each is built from painted styrene and Plexiglas: transparent forms layered on shelves, edges beveled so light enters and travels, surfaces mixed with metallic powders and iridescent pigments that shift as you cross the room.

The move that made them was structural. By recessing the backing panel two inches inside the outer edge — a reveal — Pecoraro made each construction appear to float clear of the wall. The timing helped too: track lighting was arriving in homes and offices just as he began, and these works needed exactly that kind of directed light to perform.

Several pieces in the Prismatic Construction series are titled as telephone exchange numbers, such as “APple 3-1010”. Until the late 1950s, American telephone numbers began with an exchange name, and only its first two letters were dialed; directories printed those letters in capitals. So AP-3 meant 273, the full phone number being 273-1010.