The Lightening was commissioned by Wave Hill in celebration of their 50th anniversary in April/May 2015.  The project, presented in the Aquatic Garden was accompanied by an exhibition Chris Doyle: Landscape Fictions in the Glyndor Gallery.

At the center of the Aquatic Garden at Wave Hill is a reflecting pool. In April, the pool is a simple black plane, uninterrupted by the plants that soon cover it by midsummer, and resembles a blank screen. Organized in and around the pool, reflecting into it, are three wood and acrylic sculptures that function as viewing devices for a group of animations. Each of the three sculpture present animations that explore the realms above the surface of the water, the plane of the water itself, and the realm below the surface.