Evolution Field

Evolution Field by Matt McConnell
Steel frame, layered panels, LED fiber optics, motion sensors, interactive light programming

By day, Evolution Field reads as a layered wall of curved vertical lines—three sculptural screens interwoven to create a hypnotic moiré effect. By night, it becomes something else entirely: a living, breathing field of light that senses your presence and responds with waves of color and motion.

Created by Atlanta-based sculptor and designer Matt McConnell, Evolution Field captures what he calls “the energy of time, motion, and invisible forces.” Its structure is deceptively simple: a triple wall of offset lines, designed to play with depth, shadow, and light. But step closer, and you’ll find it’s wired with programmable LED fiber optics, motion sensors, and interactive controls. The result is a piece that shifts from slow, meditative fades to kinetic, pulsating patterns the moment people gather at its edges.

McConnell has spent his career exploring how repetition, transformation, and rhythm in elemental materials can imply motion without overtaking a space. The idea for Evolution Field was sparked years ago while photographing an earlier work—mounted high in the air—on its side. The accidental perspective inspired him to create a walkable, multi-layered landscape of form and light.

When he first proposed Evolution Field, McConnell had never set foot on the playa. Encouraged to “come, participate, volunteer, learn,” he joined the Burning Man community in 2019, where building camps, serving as a Temple Guardian, and sharing light art from his own bike reshaped his vision for the work. It evolved from static color into a responsive environment—art that reacts not just to individual touch, but to the collective presence of a crowd.

At Art City, Evolution Field stands as both sculpture and gathering place. From a distance, it’s a serene landscape of form; up close, it’s a social catalyst, drawing people into playful interaction. At night, its glowing “valley of light” pulses with a wild, joyous energy—an echo of the burner family that helped shape it, and a testament to the way art changes when it listens back.