The Princeton Line

The Princeton Line is a sculpted, grassy ridge that meanders up a hill between the new arts complex and transit hub on the campus of Princeton University.

It is the work of artist and designer Maya Lin, and a part of her Earth Drawings series.

The work takes its name from a rail line that once extended across the site where the Lewis Arts Complex now stands.

The university commissioned Lin's Line to welcome visitors who arrive via the transit hub, and connect them to the new arts neighborhood (music space, dance space, theater space, art gallery, bars and restaurants).

As one of Lin's Earth Drawings, the work falls somewhere between drawing and sculpture, between two- and three-dimensional space. Earth Drawings are similar to to Wave Fields in concept and materials, but they are different too, in how they take the form of a single line rather than separate waves and troughs.

The idea for The Princeton Line is super-simple. A shape (in this case, a line) is lifted out of the ground on a grassy plane in such a way that nothing is added but the shape itself. The line winds from from one place to another in a way that indicates a connection, but also stands apart on its own.

For something that is so organic and environmentally quiet, the effect is big.

The work is central to The Lewis Arts Complex and to the new area of the university campus around it. That is no small feat, given the glowing new buildings by Rafael Moneo, Deborah Berke and Steven Holl nearby.

The Princeton Line is beautiful in all seasons, and I recommend making a little time to look the next time you visit.

While you are at it, you can also visit the world's nicest, grass-roofed, Wawa, which I’m pretty sure Maya Lin did NOT design. (I think that one was made by Wawa Hadid, ahahahah.)

More here ... https://www.mayalinstudio.com/art/princeton-line