The Windmill Project - Patrick Marold

This is an image of the 1,000 windmills that are installed on the side of I89 just after the whale tails. The windmills are a part of The Energy Project that is currently on exhibition here in Burlington at the Burlington City Arts' Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts on Church St. The turbines will be installed from August 12 - November 16.

Patrick Marold, a Colorado based artists and graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, The Windmill Project because he wanted to be able to study and examine wind behavior. The 8-foot wind turbines contain LED bulbs which gain power through the wind's energy. During the day there is not much to be seen, but a night time it is said to be quite a show.

I first saw the field of windmills on my way up to Burlington. I always love looking at the whale tail sculpture, so I was very surprised when I saw the field of windmills following. I can remember wondering to myself what they were and what their purpose was. Coincidentally, I was in the BCA's gallery today and saw a picture of them on the wall.

I chose this work of art because part of the energy project is about the concept of the "aesthetics of a carbon-constrained future." This means that not only is it a positive addition to the environment, but it is an aesthetically pleasing one. Meaning not only is it a scientific addition, but it is also an artsy addition. The artists had to find a way to intertwine alternate energy with art.

The subject of this art is self-sustainable energy, but also the art--the appealing aspect. You are really able to see the energy aspect during the day with the windmills twirling crazily in the wind. But at night you are able to see the product of the wind's work.

What makes this art? Just from looking at the picture it doesn't look much like art, but with the video I am going to present, you will see why I, and probably you will consider it art. I will explain why I consider it art after I show the video.

In regards to our current class discussions, I believe that Anderson's Instrumental theory best fits this piece. According to the Instrumental theory the art work must have some sort of positive involvement with the welfare of individuals and society. I believe that this art piece is a great demonstration of a self-sustainable alternate form of energy. Although the turbines do not create energy for anything else besides the lights, if need be, some similar set-up could be devised to put this same method to use on some real world need.

Here are the some of the resources I used:
Works Cited:

Ford, Eric, and Steven Leibman. "The Energy Project Vermont." THE ENERGY PROJECT VERMONT. ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, 2009. Web. 10 Sept. 2009. .

"Patrick Marold | The Windmill Project Vail Colorado." Patrick Marold | Sculpture, Public Art and Photography by Denver Colorado Artist Patrick Marold. NJEDesign.com, 2008. Web. 10 Sept. 2009.