Patrick Marold Visualizes the Wind With Thousands of Turbine-Powered LEDs

Although we can't normally see the wind, we can feel its presence - however Colorado-based visual artist <a href="http://patrickmarold.com/" target="_blank">Patrick Marold</a> has figured out a way to translate the wind's movement into light. Using LEDs, polycarbonate tubes, and mini wind turbines, Marold has been documenting the shape of the wind through his <a href="http://patrickmarold.com/windmill-project.aspx" target="_blank">Windmill Project</a>. His installations involve hundreds of mini wind generators planted in breezy landscapes - as the wind blows across them, the LEDs light up based on the strength of the wind and where it blows. His project draws attention to the use of clean renewable energy and our interaction with the landscape and natural forces.

Marold first started his project in 2000 when he was living on a farm north of Reykjavik.

The region experiences plentiful wind and lots of long dark nights, so Marold came up with an idea that would allow him to watch the wind.

He rigged up some crude wind turbines from refrigerator fan blades and bicycle dynamo generators and then began placing units out in the landscape to capture the wind.

Over time, his mini wind turbine design evolved to use translucent polycarbonate tubes, LED lights, and anemometer cups and generators.

The <a href="http://vimeo.com/25668458" target="_blank">Windmill Project</a> has been installed in Iceland, Burlington, Vermont and Vail, Colorado since then - and Marold has used anywhere from 500 to 3000 generators.

Marold works with members of the community to decide on a location and volunteers help him install the 8-foot-tall generators.

The generators convert the winds of 5 mph or greater into light, which glows through the tubes.

The strength of the wind determines how brightly the light glows.

Although subtle during the daytime, the project comes alive at night and dramatically showcases the wind as a living body of light.

Marold reuses and recycles where possible, but his primary goal in creating these turbines is to make them hardy and durable.

They take a beating during travel and installation, so his goal is to minimize breakage and keep the units in working order for as long as possible.

The project definitely opens dialogue about the use of clean, renewable energy - and Marold welcomes this discussion as a response to his art.

Marold tells us in an email: "The Windmill Project exposes the fickle personalities of nature and reminds us of our passive reliance on convenient and immediate sources of energy. Though it was not my original intent in Iceland to enter the dialog on clean energy with this sculpture, I appreciate the conversations it does initiate and I value the role that art plays in contemporary issues of energy, stewardship of the land and our roles as communities and individuals. The Windmill Project doesn’t provide any definitive answers, but it does open doors through the experience of watching it, enhancing the connection between the viewer, the land and sky. "