Eco Art and Science Sitting in a Tree...

With the recent reports of major climate change, perhaps I'm thinking about science and the importance of trees... even in childhood playground rhymes.

Arguably, LEED and green building projects fall somewhere between art and science. At least in new construction, it's about designing a building from scratch, delivering on the hopes, dreams (and budget) of the client while also obliging the LEED credits and rating system is certainly a valuable skill.

But this article is not about the theoretically gray area of LEED project design and execution. Instead, it is about the more tangible marrying of art, science and technology that we’re seeing bourgeon throughout the world.

Here are four of my favorite projects I’ve come across in recent months:

Moss graffiti

As reported by Inhabitat, artist Jennifer Ilett and Sprout Guerilla teamed up to bring about air purifying street art that just no officer of the law could have the heart to remove!

Displayed as part of Artist Project Toronto 2014, the comic-style illustrations themselves make light of the balance between technology and nature and the challenges it presents.

TED Vancouver Floating Sculpture

In yet another gravity-defying, mind-blowing work of scientific art, Janet Echelman’s recent collaboration with Google Creative Lab’s Aaron Koblin for the TED Vancouver conference generated considerable buzz.

Made of thousands of LED strings, the 745-foot sculpture titled Unnumbered Sparks allowed viewers on the ground to change its color and movement by interacting it with it via their smartphones.

Zigelbaum’s Triangular Series: One of the most breathtaking concepts I’ve heard of to date, Triangular Series is an in-progress, site-specific installation of stalactite-looking forms that project from the ceiling. What is particularly incredible, however, is that each individual object can sense and react to one another as well as the physiological rhythms (heartbeat, respiration, etc.) of beings in the space. In other words, walk below or near them, and each one form will be impacted through light changes.

Solar and Wind Charging Station Rock Sculpture

In just over a week’s time, the city of Dortmund, Germany will receive a highly-innovative, unusually-practical artistic gift: a solar and wind-powered charging station that actually looks like a boulder. Touting wi-fi, eight outlets and four electronics-charging lockers, Stein mit Vollausstattung is a creative take on the naturalist’s approach to keeping up with the technological times.

Are there others you think would blow my mind even more? Please comment here or Tweet us at @PoplarNetwork to fill us in!

Photo credit: Jamie Zigelbaum