Environmental/land art was a sculptural movement where the artist mainly incorporates the landscape or elements into their final piece. The Lightning Field is located in a remote rural are in western New Mexico that allows for optimal viewing and high frequency of lightning strikes. The field consists of 400 polished stainless steal poles in a one mile by one kilometer grid. The poles average 20'7.5" in height and are placed 220 feet apart from each other. As many know, the electrical currents in lightning are attracted to the highest point and metal. What is unique about this work is that the poles are of the same height and same distance apart from one another forcing the natural elements into a sort of chance as to where they strike. This means that as a viewer, you would never see the same display for it is forever changing.
This landscape sculpture struck my eye because I am quite fond of storms. Growing up in a rural setting my family would often gather on the front porch and watch as storms rolled in. With a town that did not offer much entertainment lightning served as our own personal light show.
Here, is a link that will take you to a website that explains when, where and visiting hours.
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