“[I used] a color spectrum because, conceptually, it references unity and diversity,” says Austin artist Josef Kristofoletti of his mural Tau Ceti, “All the colors come from one source and, together, create a complete spectrum of hues.”

At ten stories and 103 feet tall,Tau Ceti creates a remarkable optic experience as sunlight from surrounding buildings refracts upon a painted gradient color spectrum throughout the day. Located in downtown Austin, the title of the artwork, Tau Ceti, references a single star in the constellation Cetus that is spectrally similar to our own sun. Kristofoletti, a native of Transylvania, painted the mural entirely by hand suspended from a motorized swing stage.

In its short lifespan, Tau Ceti has become a major downtown Austin destination location and backdrop for thousands of social-media-shared photographs. A colorful epicenter of spontaneous and orchestrated joy in a city of colorful and diverse people.