GROW is the latest project by Daan Roosegaarde, and it aims to install thousands of red, blue, and purple LED lights in a wide-spread field of leek for practical purposes and make it look aesthetic.
Those who are planning to visit the beautiful town of Lelystad this year will have a treat for their eyes at night time. Driving by a 20,000m2 field of leek glowing in different colors would truly be an unparalleled experience. The idea was brought up by Roosegaarde studio, which uses a rare and artistic installation designed for Dutch farmers as an inspiration for them to experience artificial light in outdoor farming. GROW also serves as a hopeful light to people in these hard times, giving a new definition of agriculture as a rightful cultural artwork.
Ultraviolet nighttime light is in use in glasshouse agriculture for quite a while now. These are used more commonly in places with scarce sunlight. However, its use in outdoor farming is being seen for the first time. Where these ultraviolet lights are known to have a better growth effect on plants, Roosegarde’s theory states that it will also affect pesticides.
“So we started to scan the plants with these wavelengths of light, and then suddenly it started to dance, the light,” Daan Roosegaarde said in an interview with Reuters. “You had these huge fields of fireflies, and we were testing it, and the magic started kicking in, so I think that’s when the worlds of science and art and design collide and enhance each other.”
Solar-powered LEDs throw ultraviolet light on these leek plants, impacting the sunlight after the sunsets. Alongside benefitting the plants, their more attractive part is the caused surreal spectacle.
As of now, these GLOW lights will only be visible around Lelystad. However, the plan is to spread it wide all across the globe in the coming years. This might as well would have an impact on double growth in plants. Later, these impressive light installations will be spread over to 40 countries as told.
Roosegarde studio has developed various fascinating installations over the years in different parts of the world. You can have a look at this “Glow in the dark bicycle track” powered directly by renewable energy.
