THE BACK PAGE BUCKET LIST
#04 Focus Lighting / Paul Gregory
Curated by
“Never fear heroic failure.” Abe Feder What: To experience Walter De Maria’s The Lightning Field installation. Where: In a remote area of the high desert of Quemado, New Mexico. The site’s exact location is a well kept secret, but appears to be in the middle of nowhere. How: On a flat plane, 400 stainless steel posts with pointed tips are installed in a grid array measuring one mile by one kilometre. The poles range in height from fifteen to 26 feet tall and are spaced about 220 feet apart. Each pole is expertly machined and planted so that the tips create a perfect horizontal plane, despite the gently uneven terrain. When: The likelihood of witnessing a lightning strike at the installation site increases in the summer, especially during the rainy months of August and September. However, despite the installation’s name, and that its location in New Mexico has a relatively high frequency of electrical storms, the sculpture isn’t only about seeing lightning. In fact, a strike on one of the poles only occurs around 60 times per year. Why: To see the incredible beauty and energy found in nature, culminated in a lightning strike. Each day hues of red and blue sweep across the rods as the sun moves across the sky. At sunrise and sunset, brilliant golden light reflects from the poles, then disappears at the blink of an eye. To stand in the middle of the field and look out into the distance is a one of a kind, truly sublime experience.
178
www.arc-magazine.com
www.focuslighting.com