Hot Spots
Awestruck by the unexplainable light phenomena of Marfa Lights in Marfa, Texas, the artist plans to create a similar feeling experience here in the Ozark hills. This public art piece is a call to action, an interactive blessing of mother earth, that is centralized around civic impact, social experience and global reach to stimulate a culture of curiosity and marveling within the Ozarks. It will consist of three parts: parabolic reflector light (search lights) installations with Arkansas quartz crystal over the lenses will be positioned at key cardinal direction corners, communication and interpretation through a light language (Morse code) beamed from the lights, and varied viewing platforms. The viewing vantages would be aerially, (unique to the accessibility of our area and the Thaden field project), from the ground, and from an application that follows the changing light show and its messages. This night sky event will provoke viewers of multiple interests. For those that connect to the natural world they could find a high vantage point to enjoy these connective light beams as if they were gazing at a meteor shower. An aviator can pass by the light show and feel as though they are part of the piece. A person intrigued by science or the unexplained can delve into decoding the light messages. And the art world of Arkansas can add this marvel alongside James Turrell’s Skyspace, as another way to be wowed by light phenomena and the Ozark sky. This project, congruent with the redefinition of the Ozarks, boasts that we are “Flyover Country.”