Sarah Meyohas

Truth Arrives in Slanted Beams

b. New York City, New York, 1991
Based in New York

Truth Arrives in Slanted Beams
33.776538, -116.370608
74184 Portola Road, Palm Desert

Sarah Meyohas’ sublime and seductive imagery blends analog and digital technologies to illuminate the systems shaping contemporary society. As an artist, inventor, and economist, she investigates the aesthetic and creative potential within science and technology, driven by humanity’s fascination with optics and perception.

Her immersive installation showcases “caustics,” light patterns formed by the refraction or reflection of light through curved surfaces. While this optical effect often occurs naturally, such as at the bottom of a swimming pool, Meyohas transforms it, using innovative light-shaping technology enabling visitors to project sunlight onto a ribbon-like structure cascading across the desert floor.

The installation recalls ancient timekeeping technology like sundials and pays homage to 20th-century land art. Each mirrored panel, crafted using computer algorithms for light manipulation, features a unique pattern, spelling out the poetic phrase, “truth arrives in slanted beams.”

Meyohas has carefully mapped the sun’s path at this location, orchestrating the interaction between mirrors and the curved projection surface to create precise reflections and shadows throughout the day. As visitors adjust the mirrors to sharpen the projected images, they encounter unexpected visual illusions—waves, moiré patterns, or perhaps a mirage—stirring a longing for the desert’s ever-present water.

Generous support is provided by Markus Beissinger, Sheila Duignan and Mike Wilkins, Conrad Getty, Grace Guo, Maxwell Karlan, Vishal Lugani and Amber Atherton, Pat Maugue, Max Novendstern, Benny Redbeard, Carrie Schwab Pomerantz, Simon Townsend-Last and Rinad Alanakrih, Julie Wynn and Tikhon Bernstam, Tian Zeng, and the City of Palm Desert.

The artist would like to thank Boris Morin-Defoy for his role as architect and design collaborator on the project. She would also like to thank Rayform for their expertise and consultation in the production of the caustic mirrors.