In the 1970s, Beasley became interested in the intersections of geometry and light. He needed a process for creating large-scale, clear acrylic shapes. DuPont scientists said it could not be done, but the artist invented a specialized autoclave chamber and the means for casting small and large-scale absolutely clear works.

From this invention, Beasley won the commission for his stunning environmental scale Apolymon permanently installed in the California State Capitol, and in the process invented the technology for large scale clear aquariums and the clear bathyspheres used by NASA for deep sea exploration.

"The genesis of the cast acrylic sculptures was my desire to explore the containment of light as a sculptural medium. The only tool I could imagine to contain light would be a transparent medium. There were reasons that neither glass nor plastic resins could do what I imagined I needed, so I had to invent a new process for casting transparent acrylic at a scale and thickness not previously possible—not for the sake of invention, but to achieve the aesthetic goal I was seeking"
— Bruce Beasley