Earthtime 1.8 Green Mountain Falls, CO, 2019
DESCRIPTION
Janet Echelman’s Earthtime 1.8 net sculpture floated gently in the air above Gazebo Lake in Green Mountain Falls, Colorado during the 2019 Greenbox Arts Festival. Titled Earthtime 1.8, the sculpture is a contemplation about the interconnectedness of all of us - human beings and the natural world. The form of the artwork is inspired by a scientific data set that records the interconnection of a shift in time of the earth’s rotation (the length of a single day) and the surface of the ocean. Echelman was contemplating the fact that our earth’s rotation is not fixed, so our system of measuring time cannot be fixed either. In this constantly shifting reality, there are a myriad of other earth systems that are constantly changing, and our human actions are interwoven into this complex network.
The monumental floating form is constructed from fibers 15 times stronger than steel by weight, and custom color blends that Echelman combines with light to create the dynamic final sculpture. Layers of fiber, braided and knotted together in vibrant hues pulse with changing wind and weather to create a choreography of undulating color. At night, the sculpture comes to life with projected colored light.
The artwork invites you to pause amid the bustle and commotion, offering a chance to gaze skyward and contemplate a physical manifestation of the interconnectedness surrounding us.
To date, the Earthtime 1.8 sculpture has been installed in: London, UK (2016), San Diego, CA (2016), Mexico City, Mexico (2017), Beijing, China (2017), Xian, China (2018), Green Mountain Falls, CO (2019), and Perth, Australia (2021).
MATERIALS AND SIZE
Fiber, Buildings and Sky combined with Colored Lighting. Fibers are braided with nylon and UHMWPE (Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene)
Dimensions of net: 100 ft. length x 45 ft. width x 20 ft. depth
CREDITS
Art: Janet Echelman
Studio Echelman Project Managers: Melissa Henry, Jamie Li
Sculpture Engineering: Arup: Clayton Binkley
Simulation Software Engineering: Autodesk
Festival Production and Lighting: Greenbox Arts Festival
Photography and Videography: Thomas Kimmell
LOCATION
Green Mountain Falls, Colorado: installed above Gazebo Lake