The Lightning Field | Hacker News Reader

The Lightning Field

diaart.org

37 pointsgadders9 comments

There’s a Geoff Dyer piece about visiting the Lightning Field which is worth a read if you’re curious: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/04/18/poles-apart

> A full experience of The Lightning Field does not depend upon the occurrence of lightning, and visitors are encouraged to spend as much time as possible in the field, especially during sunset and sunrise.

So it has nothing to do with lightnings, or does it? And if it's independent of lightning activity, what else is it about?

A bit more explanation would be helpful.

I guess "explaining" art is cheating, although I agree that it would be interesting to get to know more about the ideas behind the piece.

I guess (I tried some quick calculations but it's far from my field) that a bolt of lightning would happily vaporize the steel if it hit directly? On the other hand they're more massive than typical lightning rod cables seem to be, so perhaps they're able to safely conduct the current to ground without vaporizing. Anyone?

I wouldn't chance it. Rather be near something less conductive when lightning strikes..

Yeah, I always like to be the most conductive thing around in a lightning storm. Keeps life exciting. Doesn't resistance translate to heat and explosions? Besides, one in 7 million and all.

https://xkcd.com/795/

Even if the ground connection of the rods is sufficiently low impedance to prevent electrocution of people nearby, the noise is going to be loud enough to cause hearing damage.

If a pointed pole is a "lightning rod" then, keeping in mind that a lightning rod mitigates lightning strikes, a field of pointed poles is a lightning field - regardless of whether lightning is striking.

Ironically, I'd expect the steel posts to actually reduce the occurrence of lightning in the area in much the same way as a lightning rod does, by dissipating charge gradually and thus making the area less attractive to lightning strikes.

Plugging my own site, but here’s a collection of poems Kim Addonizio put together after visiting The Lightning Field: https://verse.press/playlist/into-the-desert-223272706940846...

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