Visiting artists from all over North America descend upon the Rock River Valley, living with local farm families for nine days, immersing themselves in rural culture and beauty. They paint, photograph or sculpt, interpreting their experiences in whatever medium they choose. It's an attempt to combine art and agriculture.
One of the more ambitious design tasks is the creation of "Field Art". Four designs are chosen and carved into a 15 acre farm field, using mowing equipment and a GPS system. It's kind of a purposeful crop circle endeavor. Local art students from either the high school or community college are given the task of creating at least one of the designs.
As you can now understand, the field art is visible only from the air. Area pilots offer plane rides to view the field. The cost? $25 for about a half hour in the air - What a bargain!
Three stalks of giant corn are visible in the field below:
One of the other designs is a Kokopelli:
The other two designs are a man in the moon and this year's Field Project logo. Keep in mind that an airplane window does not lend itself to creating good photos.
The weather is moving in fast from the west and after a second turn around the field pilot Darryl Jensen heads back towards the airport.
He takes me for a turn around the town of Oregon, Illinois - that's the dam at the top of the photo. We fly over my sisters house and my mom's house too!
On the way back to the airport we pass over the most awesome sight of the day. A peek in the clouds casts a beam of sunlight down on one of the farms.
We come in for a landing on......yes.... a grass covered landing strip. Quite plush and quiet, soft landing. Another plane is waiting to take off.
Read more about the project: The Fields Project
Come back tomorrow and see some of the other art that was created during the week.
5 comments:
Nice photos, even through a plane window. The cornstalks seem appropriately Frank Lloyd Wright-ish; why, though, do we need another reminder of Kokopelli here in the midwest? How about one of the Illinis' corn-related gods? I could just hear and feel the plane landing, and imagined Lindbergh on French grass. You have a really nice weblog, BTW.
Awesome pictures...I've never flown...except a dream I had once...lol!!
I'll be back because I just love your blog!!
:-D
What fun. Do they grow the specified fields with a special grass or crop planting?
I have been in a very small plane but never have experienced a landing on grass. Reading about your experience makes me want to try again. (Not with the ex of course.)
Thank you so much for the wonderful pictures. I watch for them each day and am never dissapointed. I'm impatient for the trip back home to Big Rock and all the local places to see.
thanks again
Thanks for all your kind comments.
Lindbergh landing on French grass - now there's a vision.
Tammy - take a flight - you'll like it.
srp - the grass landing strip was something new for me. All the take offs and landings we've done in Central America were actually on paved runways.
Judy - Come home soon! Big Rock is one of my favorite places. If you look to the right you'll find a link to the Lamb of God farm. My photo expedition last 4th of July was in Big Rock.
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