Artist Janet Echelman began her 'Earth Time Series' in 2010, but the latest installation, '1.78 Madrid', is designed to commemorate a contemporary event. The elaborate, lush thread sculpture has been commissioned in honor of Madrid's 400th anniversary.
1.78 Madrid hangs in Plaza Mayor, directly above a regal statue of King Philip III of Spain, a crucial monarch who ruled during the height of Spain's empire in the early 17th century. Though it has historical connotations throughout Spain, the installation itself is inspired by time in a different sense. The name, 1.78 Madrid, refers to the amount of microseconds that a day on Earth was shortened as a result of the massive 2011 earthquake in Japan.
Echelman hopes that 1.78 Madrid will bring people "together with art that explores our concept of time."
Suspended Fabric Installations
Janet Echelman's '1.78 Madrid' Marks the City's 400th Anniversary
Trend Themes
1. Thread Sculptures - The use of thread as a medium for sculptures presents disruptive innovation opportunities in the art industry, allowing for unique and intricate installations.
2. Commemorative Installations - Creating large-scale installations to commemorate significant events provides a disruptive innovation opportunity in the field of public art, fostering connections between art and history.
3. Exploring Time Through Art - Using art to explore the concept of time opens up disruptive innovation opportunities to create immersive experiences that challenge perception and deepen our understanding of temporality.
Industry Implications
1. Art - The art industry can leverage thread sculptures to revolutionize traditional sculpting techniques and create captivating and intricate artworks that push boundaries.
2. Public Art - The field of public art can embrace commemorative installations as a disruptive innovation strategy to engage communities, celebrate milestones, and enhance public spaces with meaningful artistic expressions.
3. Experiential Art - The experiential art industry can harness the exploration of time as a disruptive innovation opportunity to create immersive and thought-provoking artistic experiences that challenge conventional notions of temporality.