We were lucky to catch up with Elizabeth Monoian recently and have shared our conversation below.

Elizabeth, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

History has shown that art has the power to advance social and cultural change. In 2008 we recognized that the slow pace of meaningful action on climate change was not because of a lack of technical solutions, but rather due to social and cultural barriers. That year we launched the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) to leverage the power of art and design to accelerate the global response to climate change, and we have been running programs ever since.

LAGI provides context-specific and culturally-relevant design solutions for distributed clean energy that reflect the needs of local communities through design competitions, direct commissions, calls for proposals, Solar Mural artworks, and participatory co-design projects for people of all ages. These programs challenge creatives to integrate clean energy technologies into works of public art and creative placemaking, and the design outcomes are demonstrating to the world that zero-carbon cities of the near future will be prosperous and cultural vibrant.

Open design competitions for Dubai/Abu Dhabi (LAGI 2010), New York City (LAGI 2012), Copenhagen (LAGI 2014), Santa Monica (LAGI 2016), Melbourne (LAGI 2018), Abu Dhabi (LAGI 2019), Fly Ranch (LAGI 2020), and Mannheim (LAGI 2022) have resulted in over 1,500 designs from around the world for artworks that generate clean energy and provide other sustainable co-benefits for communities.

This year we are fortunate to have the opportunity to realize one of the more ambitious and large-scale LAGI artworks for the people of Houston, Texas. Arco del Tiempo (Arch of Time) by Riccardo Mariano incorporates solar photovoltaic modules to generate 400 MWh per year, offsetting the electricity demand of the surrounding neighborhood.

It is the first public artwork in the world designed to be a net positive contribution to the climate crisis. By generously providing clean energy to the city, the arch will inspire the public about the beauty and wonder of a post-carbon future, while providing an exceptional venue for performances, events, learning, discovery, and play.

We are grateful to the City of Houston (Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, Houston Parks and Recreation Department, and the Mayor’s Office of Complete Communities) and the people of the East End (Second Ward) neighborhood, who see the importance of Arco del Tiempo and are collaborating with us to make it a reality over the next two years.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

The Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) was founded in 2008 by Elizabeth Monoian and Robert Ferry to leverage the power of art and design to accelerate the global response to climate change.

Robert Ferry is a registered architect and LEED accredited professional with decades of professional practice experience on both consultant and client sides. He has worked as design manager and project manager on sustainable new urbanist developments across the United States, and spent four years as a consultant on large commercial projects in Abu Dhabi, where his focus shifted to ways in which buildings can move beyond net-zero and contribute to the energy needs of the surrounding city. His concept designs pushing the envelope of building-integrated renewable energy technology have been published widely. Through the Land Art Generator, he helps support the critical role of architecture and urban design as part of a comprehensive solution to climate change. Robert is the co-founder of the Land Art Generator, partner at Studied Impact Design, and a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University.

Elizabeth Monoian (MFA Carnegie Mellon University) is the founding co-director of the Land Art Generator, an organization that is developing global partnerships between private and public entities around interdisciplinary projects that address issues of climate and sustainability through the lens of creativity. She works closely with cities, universities, corporations, arts organizations, and community groups to design customized approaches to renewable energy installations. Elizabeth has published, exhibited, and presented globally on the aesthetics of renewable energy and the role of art and design in providing solutions to climate change.

Our publications include Regenerative Infrastructures (Prestel Publishing), The Time is Now: Public Art of the Sustainable City (Page One Publishing), New Energies (Prestel Publishing), Powering Places: LAGI Santa Monica, (Prestel Publishing), Energy Overlays (Hirmer Publishing), Return to the Source (Prestel Publishing), Land Art of the 21st Century (Hirmer Publishing), Land Art As Climate Action (Hirmer Publishing), and A Field Guide to Renewable Energy Technologies.

Partners and supporters include City of New York, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, City of Copenhagen, 24th World Energy Congress, European Union Commission on Climate Action, Zayed University, City of Santa Monica, J.M. Kaplan Fund, Masdar Abu Dhabi, National Endowment for the Arts, Capital Region of Denmark, Danish Design Centre, the City of Glasgow, the State of Victoria (Australia), Carbon Arts, Creative Carbon Scotland, Climarte, Royal Commission for AlUla, Burning Man Project, Arizona State University, the German Federal Garden Show, the City of Houston, and more.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Elizabeth Monoian

Shortly after finishing my MFA at Carnegie Mellon University, I founded the non-profit organization that has since become the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI). The founding mission was to provide a forum for local and international communities to engage with the arts and environment through interdisciplinary processes. LAGI has carried this mission forward by inviting interdisciplinary teams around the world to re-imagine our energy landscapes as places that inspire, educate, and create a sense of wonder. As the world works together to rise to the climate challenge, vast new sustainable energy and other infrastructures will quickly become a ubiquitous part of our landscape and culture. This provides an unprecedented opportunity for creatives to take an active role in designing our regenerative systems as monuments to this most important time in human history — inspiring the public about the beauty and prosperity of our post-carbon future.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Robert Ferry:

I came of age in the early 1990s as the warnings of the scientific community about global warming were just beginning to make major headlines. I decided to study architecture in part because I saw the potential for the design of buildings and cities to reduce our carbon emissions. My first years of practice after graduation in the 2000s were a rude awakening to the slow pace of change in the building sector. Programs like LEED were well-intentioned, but woefully inadequate, serving more as a panacea than a mechanism for real systems change. Hungry for a way to push the boundary further toward zero-emissions cities, I shifted away from the personal practice of architecture and instead toward engaging other designers in new ways of thinking about the design of our cities so that they can become regenerative. By looking at and mimicking the way that healthy forests use and reuse the sun’s energy to establish cycles of life that defy entropy, we too can design human systems of survival that exist in harmony with the natural world. It is this vision that drives my creative journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://landartgenerator.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lagi_poweredbyart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Land-Art-Generator-Initiative-88054178212/timeline/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/poweredbyart

Image Credits
“Arco del Tiempo,” a Land Art Generator artwork by Riccardo Mariano incorporates solar photovoltaic technology to generate 400 MWh of clean electricity each year for the City of Houston. “Solar Hourglass,” a Land Art Generator artwork by Santiago Muros Cortés for LAGI 2014 Copenhagen uses concentrated solar power (CSP) thermal technology to generate 12,500 MWh of clean electricity each year. “Light Up,” a Land Art Generator artwork by NH Architecture, Ark Resources, and John Bahoric Design for LAGI 2018 Melbourne incorporates laminated solar photovoltaic technology to generate 950 MWh of clean electricity each year. “Girasoli,” a Land Art Generator artwork by Antonio Maccà for LAGI 2022 Mannheim uses laminated solar photovoltaic technology to generate 210 MWh of clean electricity each year. “Yggdrasil,” a Land Art Generator artwork by Cheung Man Kit, Solomon Cheung, Lai Ho Yin, Julio Lai for LAGI 2022 Mannheim uses polycrystalline silicon solar photovoltaic technology to generate 120 MWh of clean electricity each year. “Choose Earth,” a Land Art Generator Solar Mural artwork by Peggy Flavin for Jackson, Wyoming incorporates solar photovoltaic modules to generate 2.5 MWh of clean electricity each year. Photo courtesy of the artist.