Prairie Modules 1 & 2
Artist: M12
Year: 2010
Medium: Steel, paint, prairie grass, LED lights & solar panels
Specs: Modules are 14 x 17 x 14 feet each
Underwritten by the Efroymson Family Fund. Learn more about the fund here.
“Prairie Modules 1 & 2” is located on North Street between New Jersey and Alabama streets. This artist-designed environment consists of two architectural sculptures, tall grass, solar panels, black reflective pavers, and dynamic LED lighting. The combined elements are a reference to both our agricultural and urban environment in Indiana. For example, the truss-formed architectural cubes are simplified references to covered bridges but also interstate infrastructure. The grasses reference the prairie but also the embrace of green roof systems in the urban environment.
The piece is designed to invite spatial interaction and experiential awareness. It is located on a part of the Trail that is fairly straight and flat. This installation provides an interruption to what may have become a portion of the Trail that users simply accelerate through. By moving underneath and in between the project elements, users are transported to a place where they are more aware of space and experience. At night, LED lighting in the ceiling of the cubes moves from white, to yellow, to blue in an alternating fashion creating field of color and light that further enhance the transportive experience.
Through a partnership with Indianapolis Power & Light, “Prairie Modules 1 & 2” is the first public art installation in Indianapolis to return solar power to the electrical grid.
M12
M12 is a collective of artists and designers who view contemporary art as a vehicle for exploring community identity and as a powerful tool for the enhancement of civic life. Operating as a non-profit, the multi-faceted and interdisciplinary firm develops and implements site-based projects, public art commissions, exhibitions and research projects that have socially progressive themes. The name M12 refers to a groundbreaking model of electrical amplifier, which when introduced in 1933, made possible the technological fusion of the numerous existing genres of music and the birth of rock-and-roll.
Learn more about M12 and “Prairie Modules 1 & 2”: