location: East Oregon University Science Center, La Grande, Oregon
dimensions: 18' × 5' × 5'
materials: Fiberglass, steel, lights
Almost Freezing (2004) is a public art piece by American artist Thomas Sayre. Almost Freezing floats in the atrium lobby of the East Oregon University Sciences Center, with fiberglass, steel, and lights representing hydrogen and oxygen atoms bound together to form a water molecule. The project references the geometric changes in the water molecule as it changes from solid to liquid to gas. In doing so, it provides a link between the processes of scientific discovery and creative exploration.