Where the Light Gets In
Site Specific Installation
Series 2024-current

In collaboration with Patrick Taylor


Where the Light Gets In is a series of public art installations in which LED tube lights are mounted on trees marked for removal for various reasons such as future construction or invasive species management. The lights are positioned such that they appeared to pierce the heart of the tree, like a spear. The name of the piece, “Where the Light Gets In,” comes from a popular lyric from musician and poet Leonard Cohen: “There’s a crack in everything, that’s where the light gets in,” referring to the way in which traumatic events make us more receptive to the good of the world. The act of piercing the tree is a mourning ritual in which the community is given an opportunity to pay their respects to the trees, mitigating the shock of their imminent removal. 


Select a photo from the series to learn more about each installation. 




September 2024 - PESB

April 2025 - Cherry Lane
August 2025 - Beal Botanical Garden

Coverage of the work:


Lansing State Journal

Lansing City Pulse

The State News

WKAR

MSU College of Arts and Letters

MSU Today

News about the Spartan Gateway District

MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources


©2026 Hailey Becker