So this field below high-voltage power lines somewhere in England is now covered by these flourescent bulbs which are powered by ambient electricity. Let me clarify: they are not plugged in, they are simply being powered by the electrical field that surrounds these power lines. Slightly less hocus-pocus description of the process below via io9:
A fluorescent tube glows when an electrical voltage is set up across it. The electric field set up inside the tube excites atoms of mercury gas, making them emit ultraviolet light. This invisible light strikes the phosphor coating on the glass tube, making it glow. Because powerlines are typically 400,000 volts, and Earth is at an electrical potential voltage of zero volts, pylons create electric fields between the cables they carry and the ground.
Box denies that he aimed to draw attention to the potential dangers of powerlines, ‘For me, it was just the amazement of taking something that's invisible and making it visible,' he says. ‘When it worked, I thought: ‘This is amazing.''
Box denies that he aimed to draw attention to the potential dangers of powerlines, ‘For me, it was just the amazement of taking something that's invisible and making it visible,' he says. ‘When it worked, I thought: ‘This is amazing.''
Yeah amazing is a pretty apt description. It would be quite a spectacle to witness. In a good way though, not like when Britney Spears shaved her head or when Sarah Palin talked about foreign policy. See more of Box's work at his website.
via io9
