Dome of Light

The Italian-American artist Narcissus Quagliata made the Dome of Light for Formosa Boulevard station, finished in 2008: a circular glass work thirty metres across and covering some six hundred and sixty square metres, assembled from around four and a half thousand panels made in Germany, arranged in four themed quadrants of water, earth, light and fire. It sits over the station concourse and is lit from behind, so it works at any hour.

Background

The dome crowns Formosa Boulevard, a Kaohsiung Metro station in Sinsing District where the Red and Orange lines meet; changing between them takes roughly 4 minutes. The station opened on 2008-09-14 and takes its name from the Formosa Boulevard project, a rebuilding of Jhongshan Road ahead of the 2009 World Games. It spreads over three underground levels beneath the junction of Jhongjheng and Jhongshan Road, with an island platform, two side platforms and 11 exits. On the Orange line the station stretches 334 metres, on the Red line 209 metres. Besides the German panels by Glassstudio Derix, the dome uses original glass rondels from Murano, Italy, and four glass street entrances were designed by Shin Takamatsu Architect & Associates.

Source: Wikipedia, "Formosa Boulevard metro station"

What to look for

• The dome - thirty metres of stained glass across the station concourse.
• The four quadrants - water, earth, light and fire, each with its own palette.
• The panel count - around 4,500 individual pieces made in Germany.
• The light show - a timed sequence run at set hours through the day.

When to go

Year round; the station runs metro hours. Light shows run at set times, usually a few times a day. Rush hours make photography difficult.

Before you go

It is a working metro station and crowds move through constantly. Photographing it well means waiting for a gap. The visit takes twenty minutes.

Nearby

Central Kaohsiung surrounds it, and Weiwuying is southeast.

Key facts