Louise Nevelson began to experiment with industrial materials like aluminum and plastics in the mid-1960s, exploring the technical and perceptual possibilities that such materials offered. Beginning in 1967, for a period of two years, she created a series of small-scale cubic constructions out of clear plastics like Lucite and Plexiglas. Having previously used glass and mirrors in her dense wood assemblages, Nevelson’s new transparent materials allowed her to harness light while opening the sculpture to the surrounding environment. Transparent Sculpture VII is composed of three columns of stacked cubes visibly fastened together by chrome-plated nuts and bolts. The resulting three-dimensional compositions of circular holes and arches change based on the viewer’s perspective. “I first wanted to give structure to shadow,” Nevelson said. “Now I want to give structure to reflection.”