Windhorse

The title, “Windhorse,” comes from “lungta,” a Tibetan word that means bank of energy. The theme of energy came from exploring the environmental features that flourish in the state of Iowa from fertile fields where corn is grown for food and fuel, to the wind that blows through the landscape harnessed to produce electricity. The work is a visual progression in which the left side reads clearly as a cornfield being blown by wind which then morphs into a more abstract landscape of fields dotted with wind turbines in the middle. The wind turbines in the middle section fade into fast moving propellers on the right which break the boundaries of the landscape, a visual metaphor for raw-unharnessed energy beyond the grid and in the future. The intent is that the viewer sense energy before being able to identify the specifics. As the work is about the past, present, and the future, it seeks to resonate over time and to be meaningful to the public now and in the future.

 “Windhorse” was commissioned by the Government Service Administration for the lobby of the Des Moines Federal building. The work measures 6’ (72”) x 45.427’ (545.125”) and is comprised of 22 glass panels, 11 on the top row and 11 below. The 6 panels on the left measure 3’ (36”) x 4’ 2 ¼” (50 ¼”), the 10 in the middle section measure 3’ (36”) x 3’ 11 ¾” (47 ¾”), and 6 panels on the right measure 3’ (36”) x 4’ 2 ¾” (50 ¾”). The 22 panels are made up of digitally manipulated photographs printed on transparent interlayer then laminated between tempered low iron glass. Each panel is 7/16” thick and has a hole drilled in each of its 4 corners. Stand-offs are located at these corners, set into the wall and inserted into the 4 holes in each panel. The Stand-offs support the panels 2” away from the stone-facade walls in the lobby. Final installation of the work was completed in April 2009.