"Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I but when the trees bow down their heads, the wind is passing by." -Christina Rossetti
Travel and projects over the past few years have taken us along Interstate 10, in route from Los Angeles heading southeast towards Palm Springs, California. Along this route, amid the desert landscape, the highway slowly unveils thousands of white blades rotating in the distance.
The San Gorgonio Pass wind farm, home to more than 3000 turbines is situated in a valley adjacent to the San Jacinto Mountains, which is one of the windiest places on earth. These propeller topped giants stand out not only from their sheer numbers but also their gargantuan size. The wind farm generates enough electricity to power the entire city of Palm Springs and beyond. In order for the blades to turn, the wind must be blowing about 12 to 14 miles per hour which is then transferred to a collection point below and sent to a sub-station. This geographic location is unique as the wind blows hard enough to power the windmills over 300 days a year.
On a visit through the area earlier this year, we spent some time at the wind farm shooting a collection of motion and audio clips; working to capturing the inspiring presence of the blades from as many unique vantage points as possible.
Like many of the personal projects undertaken, there is a vague idea as to what will come to life with the final visuals. In between projects we were pleased to once again collaborate with Adam Duguay and his team at Elemental Motion Media. They not only combed through the footage and delivered several rounds of edits, but mixed and mastered the audio with some effects that accentuate the imagery.
Turn up your speakers and enjoy the latest JC|P motion endeavor, a short narrative of this turbine filled landscape...
