CO2LED
Photos by Robert Gay and Arlington Arts
Project Details
Artist: Jack Sanders, Robert Gay, and Butch Anthony
Materials: Solar-powered LED’s, rods topped with reused plastic bottles, little bluestem prairie grass
Location: Dark Star Park (traffic island at Fort Myer Drive, N. Lynn Street, and Fairfax Drive)
Date: 2007
Installed in the traffic island at Dark Star Park, CO2LED was constructed out of nearly 700 solar-powered LEDs on rods, each topped with a recycled plastic bottle. The poles’ slight flexibility, combined with the LEDs’ nebulous glow underneath the ridged surfaces of the plastic drink bottles, created a soft, undulating cloud of light. A native American prairie grass, little bluestem, was planted beneath the poles to stand in contrast to the grid upon which the poles were installed. At the exhibition’s conclusion, the plants were transplanted to sites throughout the County and all project materials were recycled. CO2LED promoted the use of alternative energy sources as well as recycling and responded to Arlington’s environmental initiative, AIRE (Arlington Initiative to Rethink Energy).
CO2LED was developed in conjunction with Planet Arlington, a year-round cultural programming initiative designed to explore issues of immigration, globalization and the environment through the lens of the arts and humanities. CO2LED beckoned the way to the Planet Arlington World Music Festival, which was a signature event for Planet Arlington.