Installation in wheat field
525.2 x 525.2'
(160 x 160 m)
Hello World! is a large-scale Semacode
mowed into a wheat field near Ilmenau,
in Germany’s Thuringia region. The
code is formed by dark (mature green
wheat plants) and light (mowed plants
mixed with soil) squares 18 across
and 18 down, that when decoded
read “Hello, world!” in keeping with the
tradition of christening any new coding
experiment by programming it to produce
this cheerful declaration. The installation,
now integrated into Google Earth’s
database of images, marries a low-tech
method with a decidedly high-tech effect,
while also making reference to and
updating the ancient language of runes
and crop circles. The human need for
expression continues at a global, even
planetary, scale.
