Last weekend people from Main d’Oeuvres organized a seminar on art, technology and environment. Some of the speakers were Richard Box and Beatriz Da Costa.

Richard Box art installation from www.richardbox.com

Though it is not new, Richard Box work on Electro Magnetic Fields (EMF) is quite astonishing for we who are concerned with WiFi. Having not taken too seriously the issue of “electrosensibles”, I think this is really a great visual “proof” of how “influent” may EMF radiations be. I mean, they are able to light up a fluorescent tube out of the radiations (and energy) generated by power pylons!!!

Richard Box work consists in presenting a set or array of fluo tubes. These are literally rooted in the ground which, given the negative / positive charges present in the “air” surrounding power pylons, will cause tubes to light up. In deed, Physicists from the University of Bristol have been engaged and trying to analyze the phenomena which, btw, is a great example of “open-air research” following Michel Callon distinction between closed (confinée) research and open-air research. There are no power pylons in labs, are they? Richard commented on a great moment during the installation where kids played with the tubes pulling them out of the ground and planting them in as they jumped. Smiling at the syncro between the jump, and the lighting up when “landed”.

RAX!