Kukulkan’s Portal is a monumental 18-foot cubed light sculpture that celebrates the evolving relationship between geometry, science, and art. Inspired by recent mathematical discoveries, this modular installation pays homage to new frontiers in our understanding of polyhedra. While the cube and the stellated octahedron (also known as the merkaba) are long-established in the world of mathematics, scientists have recently proposed a new fourth class of equilateral convex polyhedra—Goldberg polyhedra—marking the first such classification in nearly 400 years.

At the heart of Kukulkan’s Portal is a luminous acrylic merkaba, suspended within an aluminum cube frame—illustrating the geometric harmony between these two timeless forms. The sculpture contains over 10,000 individually programmable LEDs. Light pulses through the layered acrylic of the merkaba, while the surrounding aluminum cube is lined with LED strands, diffused through lexan panels and adorned with intricately laser-cut aluminum skins featuring the image of Kukulkan, the feathered serpent deity from ancient Mesoamerican mythology.

This fusion of sacred geometry and cutting-edge technology creates an immersive, glowing portal that invites viewers to explore both the mystical and mathematical dimensions of form. The piece functions as both an homage to ancient symbolism and a celebration of modern scientific insight.

Kukulkan’s Portal has already gained international attention—most recently featured in Ricky Martin’s “Que Rico Fuera” music video. Alongside it, Liquid PXL’s iconic Electric Dandelions were simultaneously showcased on Wall Street at the South Street Seaport in New York City and at the Firefly Music Festival, underscoring the growing impact and reach of these sculptural light experiences.

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The inspiration behind Kukulkan’s Portal is deeply personal for artist Abram Santa Cruz. Rooted in his Mayan heritage through his paternal grandfather—whose lineage traces back to a tribe near Puebla, just south of Mexico City—the piece serves as a tribute to his grandfather’s memory following his passing in August 2020. In creating this work, Abram sought to reconnect with that ancestral legacy and pay homage to the spiritual and intellectual richness of Mayan culture.

Central to the sculpture is the merkabah (also known as the stellated octahedron), a sacred geometric form revered across spiritual traditions. Often associated with enlightenment, transformation, and ascension, the merkabah is believed to be a divine light vehicle—one that bridges body, spirit, and higher consciousness. “Mer” means light, “Ka” means spirit, and “Ba” means body. Together, the term speaks to the union of the physical and the divine, the seen and the unseen.

Encompassing the merkabah is the figure of Kukulkan, the Mayan Feathered Serpent god—a powerful symbol of duality, wisdom, and cosmic connection. In ancient belief systems, Kukulkan was more than a deity of wind, rain, and the sun—he was a divine messenger, the bridge between the physical world and the spiritual realm. For Abram, Kukulkan became the perfect symbolic counterpart to the merkabah, representing the container of wisdom, movement, and transcendence.

Kukulkan’s Portal is lined with 10,000 programmable LEDs. Lights are controlled with a raspberry pi and run through 90 minutes of animations. The LED’s are individually programmable, which combined with the right hardware and software, can be made to be highly interactive.  

Currently, we have the ability to make the lighting patterns sound or music reactive and we can apply hardware which would allow the light sequences to be manipulated with physical movement.