'Malas Hierbas Mutantes': An Artistic Protest Against Light Pollution In Madrid (VIDEO)

Posted: 04/ 6/2012 7:59 am

Malas Hierbas Mutantes

Environmental artists Luzinterruptus installed a series of street installations across Madrid as a statement against the amount of light pollution produced from the city. "Malas Hierbas Mutantes" (translated to "mutant weeds") are patches of green fluorescent sticks shaped into tufts of grass that span the width of a handful of public spaces.

The sidewalk installations are in direct response to law passed by the Department of the Environment of the City Council of Madrid allowing for neon pharmacy signs to be more powerful than other storefront's signs.

The wattage is so powerful, the group argues it's taking over the city.

So much light emanates from the new crosses that the environment that surrounds each pharmacy, is permanently tinted a deep, vibrant and unnatural green color. Objectively speaking, one could say that the majority of the urban green spaces in our city, are more the result of erroneous illuminated sign rules than the commitment of our institutions to provide the city with places where you can be in contact with nature.


The mutant weeds are a kind of tongue-in-cheek protest -- a forecast of the future where plants grow out of the concrete, fed by the eerie green glow of the pharmacy signs.

Watch below for high-speed video of the installation of "Malas Hierbas Mutantes." Make sure you go over to Luzinterruptus' website to check out images from their project, and more of their environmental art.

Malas hierbas mutantes from luzinterruptus on Vimeo.

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Environmental artists Luzinterruptus installed a series of street installations across Madrid as a statement against the amount of light pollution produced from the city. "Malas Hierbas Mutantes" (tra...
Environmental artists Luzinterruptus installed a series of street installations across Madrid as a statement against the amount of light pollution produced from the city. "Malas Hierbas Mutantes" (tra...
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Son of Liberty 1765
Exposing Government Lies.
08:34 PM on 04/07/2012
Why don'tr they just move out of the city? I despise cities, but I think to each his own. I left the city and am happier. No need to "protest". It is a fools errand.
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Dallas Dunlap
08:28 AM on 04/08/2012
SOL1765 - If you are an amateur astronomer, light pollution affects your viewing even far from cities. In most places in the US, there is a faint glow in the sky close to the ground. Most people today have never seen a truly dark night.
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03:34 PM on 04/06/2012
Although Neon is very common in the universe..
it is rare on earth..

it is extracted from the air
in minute quantities
to make these signs.

Talk about your portals.

We probably DO need to worry about something which is not naturally occurring on earth and which EMITS SUCH A GLOW.

I will now research the known effects of neon on the human system.
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04:36 PM on 04/06/2012
Lets see...
neon gases come from the group known as noble gases..
noble means priveledged...to me..so I am automatically anticipating a problem if a gas is a spiritual entity the way light is...

It is colourless.
It gives a reddish orange glow in lamps..but I have not determined how they do that part yet.

Under standard conditions they are said to be odorless, colorless and monatomic (which is a positive sign...to ME...in their gaseous spiritual development).

They also, positively, have (or allow for) little chemical reactivity..which, to me, means they remain pure...through sheer gaseous will.

As I was reading about these stable little gas atoms...I began to wonder if extracting them for lighting systems...from the air around us..might be harming the ozone.

You know that will be the case.