stuart williams: luminous earth grid

‘luminous earth grid’ by stuart williams

‘luminous earth grid’, the massive-scale personal project of american designer stuart williams, prefigured both technically and conceptually the extent to which modern technology would blend into our daily life.

created in 1993, ‘luminous earth grid’ was conceived as a conversation between technology and nature at a time when most people had never yet accessed the internet. although the precision of the grid across ten acres of undulating landscape make the project easy to mistake from aerial views for a projection, the work is based completely from the ground. a temporary extension cable, strung down the mountainside and connected to nearby power lines, provided the electricity for 1680 fluorescent lamps, connected with 12 miles of electrical wiring.

an aerial view of the work

the herd of cows just above the grid provides a sense of the piece’s scale

from the artist:

‘the glowing green grid can be seen as an icon of computer imaging technology, which in this ‘real life,’ incarnation, gently melds with the flowing shape of a lovely landscape… a dream-like vision of symbiotic unity.’the work was co-sponsored by the new york foundation for the arts and san francisco’s intersection for the arts.

ground view of part of the installation

the project involved five years of fundraising, the help of 200 volunteers for installation, and miles of electrical wiring

via colossal