Since I was a kid I’ve loved power line towers. They are anthropomorphic steel giants that carry the lifeblood of our technocracy. There they stand, unwavering, across the American landscape just to get us our fix of energy. Where we are increasingly separated by gadgetry, this infrastructure is never without a friend on either side. I think much poetry and latent symbolism can be squeezed out of these humble icons, and I got the idea to use them to deliver a political message at the climate rallies on October 14th.
The national power grid is aging faster than we can replace it, and this poses a serious risk to the stability of our country. Moreover, demand-and-supply power management is the antithesis of an efficient and sustainable energy future. Though this problem is seemingly more superficial to Americans than, say, the humanitarian crises we face, it is nonetheless part of a larger picture of shifting the global paradigm to justice, equality and peace, and thus demands appropriate action.
Participatory pageantry and playful creation serve to spark curiosity and engage the imagination by blurring the lines between reality and possibility – between what we take for granted and a heretofore unrealized perspective. Art is supposed to blow our minds. Only by disrupting hard-wired logic can we form new pathways to a better world.
This design will be finalized and shared as an Instructable so that anyone can make their own costume. Band together with friends to become a series of wandering transmission towers. Create beauty and story simultaneously. Hopefully we can have fun while we change our worlds.