Art Design
#farming #installation #light #plants #sustainability
22 January 2021
Grace Ebert
Daan Roosegaarde, spread over a thick leek in the Netherlands, is the new installation that illuminates the practice of modern farming and the plants we feed, and emphasizes their distress. In ‘Grow’, the Dutch artist and designer, known for glowing, interactive exhibits, implanted the rows with red, blue and ultraviolet lights that shine vertically over the crop and move in enchanting motion.
The multiple project, which covers 20,000 square meters, is aesthetic and practical: the radiant landscape is visually stunning, while the embedded elements increase the growth of plants and reduce the use of pesticides. Roosegaarde has worked with existing photobiological technology and various “light recipes” that presumably improve its crop resistance and metabolism without adding chemicals. “It gives a new meaning to the word ‘agricultural culture’ by defining the landscape as a living cultural work of art,” the studio said in a statement.
In a conversation with Diéen, Roosegaarde noted that a trip to a local farm spurred the project, which the designer now hopes will be a blueprint for similar works. The Netherlands is the second largest agricultural exporter in the world – the USA is first – and is known for innovating more sustainable technologies. With single shifts in the combination of lights and placement, this simple project could have wide implications for crop production around the world.
“Grow” took the studio of Roosegaarde about two years and is part of Rabobank’s artist-in-residence program. It will tour 40 countries in the coming months. For more of Roosegaarde’s work on the intersection of art, design and science, go to Instagram.
All photos © Daan Roosegaarde, shared with permission
#farming #installation #light #plants #sustainability
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