Triforium

The Triforium, a futuristic sculpture in the centre of Los Angeles

Sculpture, futuristic tower or 1970s science-fiction relic? The Triforium intrigues all those who discover it in the centre of Los Angeles. This monumental glass-and-concrete work dominates the Los Angeles Mall. The Los Angeles audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this artistic UFO, a witness of a bold era.

A work of glass and light

The Triforium is a public artwork about eighteen metres tall, made of concrete, on which nearly fifteen hundred Venetian glass prisms are mounted. Designed in the 1970s to blend light, colour and sound, it was meant to play music and illuminate the downtown. Ambitious and controversial, it has remained one of the symbols of the experimental public art of Los Angeles.

What to see

The work strikes by its angular outline and its arches bristling with glass prisms, surprising in the middle of the Civic Center. People come to observe it as a curiosity, a witness of a futuristic vision of urban art. The Triforium illustrates the boldness, sometimes baffling, of the great artistic projects of Los Angeles in the 1970s.

Practical information

The Triforium lies in the Los Angeles Mall, in the heart of the Civic Center, in the centre of the city, reachable on foot and by public transport. It is an open-air work, freely visible at all times, with no ticket office. On the level, it is discovered during a walk in the mall and the administrative district.

What is the Triforium of Los Angeles?

It is a public artwork from the 1970s, about eighteen metres tall, of concrete and glass prisms, designed to blend light, colour and sound.

Where is the Triforium?

In the Los Angeles Mall, in the heart of the Civic Center, in the centre of Los Angeles, among the city's great official buildings.