Aura (WMATA Triptych)

Located within the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s new Headquarters, the award-winning sculptural triptych of Aura, Hooray, and Pebble was inspired by the immediate site as well as the broader context of Washington, D.C. Pierre L’Enfant’s visionary urban plan for the district echoes throughout each sculpture, as do the architectural features of Harry Weese’s iconic D.C. metro stations, and Studios Architecture’s WMATA HQ design. In the same manner the HQ and streetscape echo the geometric qualities of the nearby L’Enfant Plaza station, Hou de Sousa maintained this dialogue by deploying a vocabulary of intersecting diagonal lines, rounded corners, and coffered spaces within each sculpture.

Aura is composed of 34 coffered frames interwoven with blue, yellow, and green polyester cord in reference to DC’s metro lines. This site-specific piece was shaped by the curvaceous architectural context of the WMATA Headquarters as well as constellation of existing ceiling lights, while simultaneously drawing inspiration from the geometries and spaces of D.C.s iconic vaulted stations.

Aura opened to the public in 2022 and is located at 300 7th Street SW, Washington, D.C. The project was supported by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Art in Transit Program