Transparent Desert Shack is More Than Meets the Eye

A glance at the Lucid Stead cabin by Phillip K Smith III tells you that the impossible is happening: strips of wood are hanging, unsupported, in mid-air in the middle of a desert.

The Lucid Stead began with a 70-year-old homesteader shack. Unused and out of place, Smith turned it into something magical by adding mirrors to make the structure look transparent.

Indeed, when you look at the home, even close-up, the desert reflected back to you looks just like the desert that you might see when you look straight through the house.

LEDs were added to the mirrors, creating a new depth to the mind-blowing illusion of an alien structure simply plopped down in the middle of the desert. The LEDs provide light to the surrounding areas, casting colorful streams onto the sand.

According to Smith, the project was all about rediscovering the pleasant solitude of the desert. It is all about the interplay of light and shadow, a recurring theme in the deserts of the world.