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John Gerrard's Virtual Reality Solar Power Plant Opens Today In Lincoln Center

At the center of the Lincoln Center, a giant LED screen recreates a solar power plant in Nevada in real time.

John Gerrard, Solar Reserve (Tonopah, Nevada), 2014. Simulation, installation view, Lincoln Center, New York. Images courtesy of the artist, Simon Preston, New York and Thomas Dane, London. Photos by Iñaki Vinaixa, unless otherwise noted.

At the center of the Lincoln Center in New York, a 28' x 24' LED wall unveils a computer simulation of a solar thermal power plant. For Solar Reserve (Tonopah, Nevada), artist John Gerrard uses an advanced video game engine to recreate the Nevada desert power plant and its surrounding landscape in real time virtual reality.

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In the simulation, 10,000 robotic mirrors form concentric circles around the central solar thermal power tower they charge like a giant battery. During the course of a day in Nevada, the mirrors adjust to catch the sun’s rays. At 10am, visitors will catch the sunrise and at 9pm, the sunset. Every hour, the perspective shifts from ground level to satellite view, and the position of the sun changes in relation to the earth ensuring no view of the work is the same. While Gerrard designed Solar Reserve (Tonopah, Nevada) to run for the course of a 365 day year, it will be on display for two months at the Josie Robertson Plaza, running from October 3 to December 1, 2014

Below, check out some images of Solar Reserve, and stop by Lincoln Center starting today to catch a glimpse of the power plant in action:

Image from Public Art Fund's website

John Gerrard, Solar Reserve (Tonopah, Nevada), 2014. Simulation, installation view, Lincoln Center, New York

Solar Reserve is presented by Lincoln Center is association with Public Art Fund, and John Gerrard is represented by Simon Preston Gallery, New York. Visit Public Art Fund's website to learn more about Solar Reserve.

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