Camouflage is a useful way of remaining hidden behind the scenes, and to escape predators if you happen to not have any other kind of defensive mechanism. Well, blending into your surroundings is not exactly the easiest thing to do if you are a chameleon, but artist Phillip K. Smith III intends to do just that with his Lucid Stead piece, that was constructed near Joshua Tree in California.
In concept, the desert has proven itself to be a fruitful area where material is concerned in coming up with the structure of a 70-year old homesteader shack. The whole idea concerning Lucid Stead is to tap into the quiet and the pace of change of the desert. Basically, when life is slowed down, and one aligns with the desert, you will see the Lucid Stead for what it really is – and is not. It will show off the various nuances of light and shadow, playing around with reflected light, projected light, and change. In fact, there will be certain angles where you view the Lucid Stead from where it will look almost invisible, as though it had already blended in into the rest of the environment.
The Lucid Stead is powered by half a dozen solar panels which were donated for the project by Hot Purple Energy in Palm Springs, which translates to the absence of visible wires, as well as generators which not only pollute the environment, they are noisy to boot.
Filed in . Read more about Art.