Artist Embeds Giant Neon Orange Monolith Into Coachella Valley’s Desert Landscape

Los Angeles-based artist Sterling Ruby has created ‘Specter’.

Inspired by strange and unidentified objects that often appear in the desert, this acid orange monolith attracts drivers with its orb-like glow. ‘Specter’ is made with powder-coated aluminium and silhouettes of the mountains and the sky reflect in its shiny surface, appearing silver on one side when the sun hits it. The cuboid is bedded into the desert sand and acts as a symbol of artificial versus nature.

Installation is a part of Desert X art event. The free public art festival is back for its second outing, with 19 pieces dotted around the Coachella Valley. Artworks are discoverable by an app and this year’s digital treasure map stretches 55 miles, as far out as the Salton Sea and even across the Mexican border.

More: DesertX