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TERRAFORMS

Grimanesa Amorós TERRAFORMS, 6 x 12 x 1-foot site-specific LED sculpture and light sculpture at The Lab advertising agency, Miami, Florida, 2006. Made of acrylic, convex lens, LEDs, and custom lighting sequence, the work draws on the scientific theory of terraforming and the bird's-eye visual patterns of circular irrigated fields, Incan terraced steps at Machu Picchu, and aerial farmland, meditating on humanity's reshaping of natural environments for survival. LED light art by Grimanesa Amorós, presented in conjunction with lemon sky: projects + editions.
Grimanesa Amorós TERRAFORMS, 6 x 12 x 1-foot site-specific LED sculpture and light sculpture at The Lab advertising agency, Miami, Florida, 2006. Made of acrylic, convex lens, LEDs, and custom lighting sequence, the work draws on the scientific theory of terraforming and the bird's-eye visual patterns of circular irrigated fields, Incan terraced steps at Machu Picchu, and aerial farmland, meditating on humanity's reshaping of natural environments for survival. LED light art by Grimanesa Amorós, presented in conjunction with lemon sky: projects + editions.
Grimanesa Amorós TERRAFORMS, 6 x 12 x 1-foot site-specific LED sculpture and light sculpture at The Lab advertising agency, Miami, Florida, 2006. Made of acrylic, convex lens, LEDs, and custom lighting sequence, the work draws on the scientific theory of terraforming and the bird's-eye visual patterns of circular irrigated fields, Incan terraced steps at Machu Picchu, and aerial farmland, meditating on humanity's reshaping of natural environments for survival. LED light art by Grimanesa Amorós, presented in conjunction with lemon sky: projects + editions.
Grimanesa Amorós TERRAFORMS, 6 x 12 x 1-foot site-specific LED sculpture and light sculpture at The Lab advertising agency, Miami, Florida, 2006. Made of acrylic, convex lens, LEDs, and custom lighting sequence, the work draws on the scientific theory of terraforming and the bird's-eye visual patterns of circular irrigated fields, Incan terraced steps at Machu Picchu, and aerial farmland, meditating on humanity's reshaping of natural environments for survival. LED light art by Grimanesa Amorós, presented in conjunction with lemon sky: projects + editions.
Grimanesa Amorós TERRAFORMS, 6 x 12 x 1-foot site-specific LED sculpture and light sculpture at The Lab advertising agency, Miami, Florida, 2006. Made of acrylic, convex lens, LEDs, and custom lighting sequence, the work draws on the scientific theory of terraforming and the bird's-eye visual patterns of circular irrigated fields, Incan terraced steps at Machu Picchu, and aerial farmland, meditating on humanity's reshaping of natural environments for survival. LED light art by Grimanesa Amorós, presented in conjunction with lemon sky: projects + editions.
Grimanesa Amorós TERRAFORMS, 6 x 12 x 1-foot site-specific LED sculpture and light sculpture at The Lab advertising agency, Miami, Florida, 2006. Made of acrylic, convex lens, LEDs, and custom lighting sequence, the work draws on the scientific theory of terraforming and the bird's-eye visual patterns of circular irrigated fields, Incan terraced steps at Machu Picchu, and aerial farmland, meditating on humanity's reshaping of natural environments for survival. LED light art by Grimanesa Amorós, presented in conjunction with lemon sky: projects + editions.
Grimanesa Amorós TERRAFORMS, 6 x 12 x 1-foot site-specific LED sculpture and light sculpture at The Lab advertising agency, Miami, Florida, 2006. Made of acrylic, convex lens, LEDs, and custom lighting sequence, the work draws on the scientific theory of terraforming and the bird's-eye visual patterns of circular irrigated fields, Incan terraced steps at Machu Picchu, and aerial farmland, meditating on humanity's reshaping of natural environments for survival. LED light art by Grimanesa Amorós, presented in conjunction with lemon sky: projects + editions.
Grimanesa Amorós TERRAFORMS, 6 x 12 x 1-foot site-specific LED sculpture and light sculpture at The Lab advertising agency, Miami, Florida, 2006. Made of acrylic, convex lens, LEDs, and custom lighting sequence, the work draws on the scientific theory of terraforming and the bird's-eye visual patterns of circular irrigated fields, Incan terraced steps at Machu Picchu, and aerial farmland, meditating on humanity's reshaping of natural environments for survival. LED light art by Grimanesa Amorós, presented in conjunction with lemon sky: projects + editions.
Grimanesa Amoros video thumbnail for TERRAFORMS
Grimanesa Amoros video thumbnail for TERRAFORMS

TERRAFORMS  at The Lab for The Lab Projects in Miami, FL

Location: The Lab Ideas | Miami, FL, 2006
6 ft x 12 ft x 1 ft (1.83 m x 3.66 m. x 0.30 m)
Acrylic, convex lens, LEDs, custom lighting sequence, and electrical hardware.

TERRAFORMS is a 6 x 12-foot site-specific light sculpture created for The Lab, a creative advertising agency in Miami, its circular LED forms translating the aerial geometry of irrigated farmland and terraced landscapes into a meditation on human ingenuity, resource scarcity, and the indelible mark civilization leaves on the surface of the earth.

  • Conceived in conjunction with lemon sky: projects + editions, one of Miami’s most respected contemporary art platforms, TERRAFORMS marked Amorós’s entry into the South Florida art landscape and her first major commission exploring the relationship between land use, technology, and survival.
  • The work’s circular forms derive directly from the aerial geometry of center-pivot irrigation fields, which Amorós first encountered as a child pressing her face against airplane windows, astonished by the precision of terraced landscapes and the patchwork patterns of farmland that appeared below like abstract paintings.
  • Amorós positions terraforming, the scientific process of reshaping natural environments to support human life, as both a triumph of ingenuity and a symptom of desperation, with the competition for natural resources driving innovations that are simultaneously beautiful from above and urgent in their social and political consequences.
  • TERRAFORMS invites viewers to question what is natural in the landscapes we inhabit, compelling reflection on the cryptic but conspicuous signatures humanity leaves on the planet and the fundamental conflicts that arise when resources are stretched to their absolute limits.

TERRAFORMS is a site-specific art project created for The Lab Projects, in conjunction with lemon sky: projects + editions. It will be exhibited at The Lab, a leading advertising and promotional agency in Miami, Florida.

The title of this project was inspired by the scientific theory and practice of terraforming. This is a process that reshapes a natural environment in order to better support life. Through the use of technology such as irrigation, verdant farms are created in the middle of deserts, and land previously uninhabitable becomes not only fit for settlement, but also fertile for cultivation.

Since my childhood, I’ve been attracted by the abstract visual quality of such landscapes. When traveling by plane, I could always be found glued to a window, astonished by the preciseness of the terraced steps of places such as Machu Picchu, or by the patchwork pattern of the farmland below. The esthetic purity of these manmade vistas stood out in stark contrast to the untouched quality of their environs. As seen from above, the individual circular fields that inspired this project appear incredibly simple, yet they combine to reveal intricate, unique designs. The vastness of these landscapes touched my practical sensibilities; I was astounded by the amount of technology necessary to their creation, and by the desperation and ingenuity of mankind when natural resources are stretched to their absolute limits. These shapes became emblematic humanities struggling for survival.

This work demonstrates how the competition for resources has lead not only to fascinating technological innovations, but also to many of the dire social and political situations in regions such as the Middle East. Terraforms encourages viewers to reflect on the inestimable impact natural environments have had on human history, and underlining fundamental sources of conflict in many sparse outposts of civilization. It compels us to question what is “natural” in allowing a glimpse of the cryptic, but conspicuous, signature we leave on the landscape of our planet.

The Lab is pleased to present Terraforms, a Site-Specific Art Project (sculpture lighting installation). This project has been conceived in conjunction with lemon sky: projects + editions, Miami.

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