Pylon
A pylon is a monumental gateway structure, originally denoting the massive entrance to ancient Egyptian temples, consisting of a pair of tapering towers that symbolized the horizon's mountains and served as a symbolic threshold between the earthly and divine realms.[1] The term derives from the Greek pylōn, meaning "gate" or "entrance," with its first recorded English use in 1823 specifically referring to these Egyptian gateways.[2] In ancient Egyptian architecture, pylons emerged in their fully developed form around 2000 BCE, featuring sloping sides, a cavetto cornice, torus molding, and low-relief decorations, and they became a standard element in temple design to frame sacred processions and cosmic symbolism.[1] Beyond this historical context, the word has evolved to describe various modern structures, including tall steel towers that support high-voltage electrical transmission lines across long spans, a usage first recorded in 1923.[3][2] Additionally, pylons refer to rigid supports on aircraft for mounting engines or missiles, navigational markers for aviation, traffic cones or barriers on roadways, and flexible posts used in sports like American football to delineate boundaries.[3] These diverse applications, extending to bridge supports, air racing maneuvers, entertainment media, and software frameworks, highlight the term's adaptability from ancient monumental architecture to contemporary engineering and infrastructure.Etymology and Historical Context
Origin of the term
The term "pylon" originates from the Ancient Greek word pylōn (πυλών), denoting a gateway or entrance, derived from pylē (πύλη), meaning "gate."[2] This linguistic root reflects its initial association with monumental portals in classical contexts, where such structures symbolized passageways to sacred or enclosed spaces.[3] The word entered the English language in the early 19th century as a learned borrowing directly from Greek, initially applied to describe the monumental gateways of ancient Egyptian temples. One of the earliest documented uses appears in 1817, referring to these architectural features.[3] This introduction aligned with growing European fascination with Egyptian archaeology following Napoleon's campaigns, though the term's precise etymological path remained tied to its Greek foundation rather than contemporary French adaptations like pylône.[2] Dictionaries such as the Oxford English Dictionary trace its early 19th-century establishment in English usage to this archaeological context.[4]Evolution in usage
The term "pylon," initially adopted in English during the early 19th century to describe the monumental gateways of ancient Egyptian temples based on archaeological discoveries, began to evolve beyond architecture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[3] By the early 1900s, it shifted into aviation contexts, where "pylons" referred to tall markers or towers used to guide aircraft during races and demonstrations, marking a transition from static monumental structures to dynamic navigational aids.[2] This aviation usage gained momentum in the 1920s, exemplified by the introduction of multi-pylon race courses, such as the six-pylon configuration first employed at the 1923 Istres air meet in France, which standardized the term in competitive flying.[5] The World Wars further accelerated its prominence in military and aeronautical engineering, as rapid advancements in aircraft design incorporated pylon-mounted engines and tactical maneuvers like pylon turns for combat and reconnaissance, embedding the term in technical lexicons. In the interwar period, the term expanded into electrical engineering following the growth of power grids in the 1920s; British architect Sir Reginald Blomfield coined "pylons" in 1928 for the lattice towers supporting high-voltage transmission lines in the UK's national grid, drawing on their gateway-like form to evoke entry into the modern electrical age.[6] Concurrently, by the 1930s, "pylon" entered sports terminology, particularly in aviation racing and emerging field markers, reflecting its adaptability to boundary and guidance roles.[7] Cultural milestones further diversified its application: William Faulkner's 1935 novel Pylon, inspired by barnstorming air races, popularized the term in literature as a symbol of precarious modernity and flight.[8] By 1979, the formation of the American post-punk band Pylon in Athens, Georgia, repurposed it as a cultural emblem of angular, propulsive energy in music.[9] This progression culminated in the 2000s with software nomenclature, such as Basler's pylon Camera Software Suite launched around 2004 for industrial imaging, leveraging the term's connotations of sturdy support in digital frameworks.[10]Architectural Pylons
Ancient Egyptian temple gateways
In ancient Egyptian temple architecture, pylons functioned as monumental gateways marking the primary entrance to sacred complexes, typically comprising two symmetrical, truncated pyramidal towers with battered (inward-sloping) sides that flanked a central passageway. These towers, often linked by a lower connecting wall, created a dramatic facade that could incorporate flagstaffs, obelisks, and extensive relief carvings depicting royal triumphs. The design emphasized grandeur and protection, serving as a symbolic barrier between the everyday world and the divine realm within the temple. The term "pylon" originates from the Greek word pylōn, meaning "gateway," coined by Greek observers of Egyptian sites during the Hellenistic period.[1][2] Prominent historical examples illustrate the pylon's evolution across dynasties. The pylon form originated in the Middle Kingdom around 2000 BCE, but at the Karnak Temple Complex in Thebes, construction of surviving monumental pylons began in the New Kingdom, with the earliest example being the Eighth Pylon built by Hatshepsut (ca. 1479–1458 BCE) along the southern processional route, and later expansions including the Third Pylon constructed by Amenhotep III around 1390 BCE during the 18th Dynasty.[11][12][13] The Temple of Horus at Edfu provides a well-preserved Ptolemaic exemplar, where the main pylon was erected during the late Ptolemaic period, primarily under Ptolemy XII (80–51 BCE) and completed in 57 BCE, featuring towering facades adorned with hieroglyphs and scenes of divine kingship.[14] These structures varied in scale but generally reached heights of 18 to 30 meters, with the batter slope—typically around 5 to 10 degrees—ensuring structural stability for their immense mass.[15] Pylons were engineered with practical yet symbolic construction techniques, featuring mudbrick or rubble cores for the bulk of the towers, encased in precisely cut facing stones of limestone or sandstone sourced from nearby quarries like those at Gebel Silsila. This composite method allowed for rapid assembly using ramps and levers while providing a polished, eternal surface for inscriptions and reliefs. In Egyptian cosmology, pylons embodied the akhet—the horizon mountains between which the sun rose and set—symbolizing the eternal struggle between chaos (depicted as subdued enemies on the facade) and ma'at (cosmic order), with the pharaoh's ritual smiting of foes reinforcing divine harmony and the temple's role as a microcosm of creation.[16][1][17] While pylon construction persisted into the Ptolemaic era with traditional forms at sites like Edfu, it gradually declined under Roman influence after 30 BCE, as imperial priorities shifted away from large-scale Egyptian temple projects toward Greco-Roman hybrid styles and reduced funding for native cults.[18]Pylons in other historical and modern architecture
In the 19th century, the Egyptian Revival style incorporated pylon forms into Western architecture, drawing inspiration from ancient Egyptian temple gateways to evoke grandeur and exoticism. A prominent example is the Croton Distributing Reservoir in New York City, completed between 1839 and 1842, which featured massive granite pylons at its corners and center, topped with cavetto cornices mimicking the sloping walls and overhanging profiles of Egyptian originals.[19] This utilitarian structure transformed a water storage facility into a monumental edifice, blending functional engineering with symbolic monumentality. Religious buildings also adopted pylon-like elements during this revival, adapting the form to Christian contexts. The First Presbyterian Church in Sag Harbor, Long Island, designed by Minard Lafever and completed in 1844, presents a wooden temple-front facade flanked by three pylons, complemented by obelisk-shaped fence posts, creating an entrance that frames the sacred space with pseudo-Egyptian towers.[19] Similarly, the Downtown Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, constructed from 1848 to 1851 by William Strickland, employs Egyptian Revival motifs including battered walls and pylons on its exterior, while the interior evokes an open-air temple with papyrus columns and hieroglyphic-inspired frescoes, marking it as one of the finest surviving examples of the style in the United States.[20] In the 20th and 21st centuries, pylon adaptations shifted toward symbolic and commercial uses in museums, memorials, and entertainment venues, often constructed in modern materials like concrete and steel for aesthetic framing rather than strict religious symbolism. The Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, opened in 1993, features faux-Egyptian pylons integrated into its pyramid-shaped structure and atrium, serving as thematic gateways that enhance the immersive ancient Egypt experience for visitors.[21] These contemporary iterations prioritize visual impact and tourism, evolving the pylon from a sacred threshold to a decorative element that defines spatial transitions in public architecture.[19]Infrastructure and Utility Pylons
Electricity transmission pylons
Electricity transmission pylons, also known as transmission towers, are tall structures designed to support overhead high-voltage power lines that carry electricity over long distances in electrical grids. These structures are typically lattice steel towers, ranging in height from 15 to 55 meters, though taller variants up to 60 meters or more are used for longer spans such as river crossings. They enable the efficient transmission of power at voltages from 69 kV to over 765 kV, minimizing energy losses compared to lower-voltage distribution lines.[22] The history of electricity transmission pylons traces back to the late 19th century, with the first long-distance overhead line erected in 1891 between Lauffen am Neckar and Frankfurt am Main in Germany, spanning 175 kilometers and demonstrating three-phase alternating current transmission using wooden poles. Steel lattice towers emerged soon after as a more durable alternative; one of the earliest implementations was in 1901 on the Adams-Clifton line in the United States, transmitting power from Niagara Falls to Buffalo using steel structures. Widespread adoption occurred in the 1920s and 1930s during global electrification efforts, with the UK's first steel pylon installed in 1928 near Bonnyfield, Scotland, marking the start of modern grid infrastructure. By the mid-20th century, these pylons became integral to national power networks, supporting post-war industrial expansion.[23][24][25] Transmission pylons come in several types to suit varying terrains and requirements, including self-supporting lattice towers made of galvanized steel for standard spans, guyed lattice towers for extended distances over uneven ground, and tubular monopole structures for urban or compact installations. Galvanized steel is the primary material due to its high strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance, often hot-dip galvanized to protect against environmental exposure. Engineering designs account for multiple loads, including conductor weight (typically aluminum or copper alloys), wind speeds up to 200 km/h in extreme conditions, and ice accumulation in cold climates, with towers tested to withstand combined forces via finite element analysis. Spans between pylons are generally 300 to 500 meters, optimized to balance sag in conductors and structural economy.[26][27] These structures raise environmental concerns, including visual pollution that can alter landscapes and reduce property values, prompting debates over their placement in scenic areas. Bird collisions with power lines pose a significant risk, causing hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of avian deaths annually in the United States, particularly for large species like raptors and waterfowl, though mitigation measures such as flight diverters can reduce incidents by up to 80%. Alternatives like underground cabling eliminate overhead visual and collision impacts but are 5-10 times more expensive and less feasible for high-voltage transmission due to heat dissipation challenges.[28][29]Bridge and transportation support pylons
In bridge engineering, pylons serve as vertical towers that anchor the main cables in suspension and cable-stayed bridges, providing the primary structural support to withstand tensile forces from the cables and compressive loads from the bridge deck.[30] These towers are essential for distributing the weight of the roadway and traffic across the span, ensuring stability against wind, traffic, and environmental loads. A seminal example is the Brooklyn Bridge, completed in 1883, which features Gothic-style masonry pylons constructed from granite and limestone, standing 84 meters tall and exemplifying early use of such structures in long-span crossings.[31] Modern bridge pylons have evolved to incorporate advanced materials like reinforced concrete and steel, enabling greater heights and spans while improving durability and construction efficiency. The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge in Japan, opened in 1998, showcases this advancement with its reinforced concrete pylons reaching approximately 300 meters in height, supporting the world's longest suspension span of 1,991 meters at the time.[32] Steel pylons, often used in composite designs, offer high tensile strength and flexibility, as seen in various cable-stayed bridges where they reduce overall weight compared to traditional masonry.[33] Beyond major spans, pylons also support elevated sections of highways and viaducts, acting as piers to elevate roadways above ground level for traffic flow and urban integration. In California's Interstate 280, for instance, concrete pylons underpin the elevated freeway segments through San Francisco and San Jose, with spacing as close as 7.3 meters in northern sections to accommodate the terrain and minimize vibration impacts.[34] These structures handle vertical loads from the roadway while allowing for expansion joints and seismic resilience in earthquake-prone areas. Key design principles for bridge pylons emphasize compressive strength to counter cable tension, with engineers calculating the critical buckling load using Euler's formula to prevent instability under axial compression: P_{cr} = \frac{\pi^2 E I}{(K L)^2} where E is the modulus of elasticity, I is the moment of inertia, K is the effective length factor, and L is the pylon height.[35] Seismic considerations are integrated into these designs, particularly in regions like Japan and California, by incorporating ductility factors and base isolation to absorb dynamic forces, ensuring pylons can deform without catastrophic failure during earthquakes.[36] Maintenance of bridge pylons focuses on corrosion protection, especially for steel components exposed to moisture and salt, through multi-layer coating systems such as zinc-rich primers followed by epoxy intermediates and polyurethane topcoats, which extend service life by inhibiting rust formation. Pylon heights typically range from 50 to 300 meters, scaling with span length to optimize cable sag and structural efficiency, as demonstrated by the Golden Gate Bridge's 227-meter towers.[37]Marker and Boundary Pylons
Traffic and construction markers
Traffic cones, also referred to as pylons in some contexts, are portable, flexible markers typically shaped as inverted cones and constructed from durable plastic materials such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyethylene (PE). They range in height from 0.3 to 1 meter (12 to 36 inches) and are commonly painted fluorescent orange for high daytime visibility, with alternating reflective stripes in white or silver to enhance nighttime and low-light recognition.[38][39] The modern traffic cone was invented in 1940 by Charles D. Scanlon, a municipal street painter in Los Angeles, California, who designed it as a safer alternative to wooden blocks and metal spikes used for marking road hazards. Scanlon patented the rubber version in 1943, and production began in 1947, initially for use by the Los Angeles Department of Streets and Sanitation. In the United Kingdom, traffic cones were first deployed in 1958 along the newly opened M6 motorway, marking a key adoption in Europe for roadworks. Standardization followed in the United States with inclusion in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) in 1961, establishing national guidelines for their design and application.[40][41] These markers are primarily employed for temporary traffic management, including delineating closed lanes, guiding vehicles around construction sites or accidents, and warning of hazards such as potholes or uneven pavement. Their lightweight yet stable design allows quick deployment and repositioning by workers, while materials like PVC provide resistance to weathering, impacts, and moderate winds without permanent deformation. Rubber variants offer added flexibility for high-traffic areas where vehicles may occasionally contact them.[42][43] Regulatory standards ensure stability and visibility to prevent displacement by wind or errant vehicles. In the United States, the MUTCD specifies minimum heights of 18 inches (450 mm) for low-speed urban areas and 28 inches (700 mm) for freeways or nighttime use, with two white retroreflective bands: a 6-inch (150 mm) band located 3 to 4 inches (75 to 100 mm) from the top and a 4-inch (100 mm) band located 2 inches (50 mm) below the upper band; a typical 1-meter cone weighs 4 to 10 kg to maintain a low center of gravity.[44] Internationally, the European standard EN 13422 outlines similar requirements for construction, retroreflectivity, and performance testing, including impact resistance and color fastness, with variations for weight classes W1 (lightest), W2, and W3 (heaviest for outdoor use). These guidelines promote uniformity and reduce setup errors in dynamic environments.[45] The deployment of traffic cones as part of temporary traffic control significantly enhances safety in work zones by channeling vehicles away from hazards and alerting drivers to changes in road layout. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) data underscores their role in broader work zone strategies, which have contributed to a 7% decrease in fatalities from 2021 to 2022, even as overall roadway deaths declined by only 1.7%; studies on channelizing devices like cones indicate they help mitigate intrusion risks and support overall reductions in work zone crashes through improved visibility and guidance.[46][47]Sports and field boundary markers
In American football, rigid orange pylons serve as essential boundary markers at the four corners of each end zone, defining the goal line and preventing disputes over out-of-bounds calls during scoring plays. Introduced and made mandatory by the NCAA in 1966 to replace less stable end zone flags, with the NFL adopting them in 1975; these pylons provide a clear, visible indicator that the inside edge along the goal line is considered in bounds for touchdown determinations.[48] Prior to their adoption, end zones were marked with flags on metal staffs, leading to frequent measurement errors and player injuries from dislodged flags, but the pylon's design—credited to referee Irwin Shopbell—improved safety and accuracy by offering a weighted, non-collapsible structure.[48] Standard NFL specifications require end zone pylons to measure 18 inches (46 cm) in height with a 4-inch by 4-inch (10 cm by 10 cm) square base, constructed from a polyurethane foam core encased in bright orange vinyl for high visibility and impact resistance. The weighted base, typically filled with sand or molded foam weighing around 3-4 pounds, ensures stability without ground anchors, reducing injury risk during collisions. These materials, including the flexible polyurethane, allow the pylon to absorb hits from players diving toward it, a common tactic in close plays where contact with the pylon can extend the in-bounds area.[49][50] Evolution from early 20th-century wooden markers to modern foam versions reflects broader safety advancements, with regulations mandating tear-resistant construction to withstand professional-level play.[51] Pylon contact rules play a critical role in scoring, as NFL guidelines state that a ball carrier breaking the plane of the goal line or touching the pylon while maintaining possession scores a touchdown, provided no part of the body other than hands or feet touches out of bounds after opponent contact. This has led to iconic "pylon dives" in famous plays, such as wide receivers stretching for the marker in high-stakes moments, exemplified by disputed calls like Marvin Harrison Jr.'s near-touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks in 2024, where foot contact with the pylon was ruled out of bounds due to the heel breaking the sideline plane. Such incidents highlight the pylon's dual role as both a physical boundary and a interpretive element in officiating, influencing outcomes in games like divisional playoffs.[52][53] In auto racing, particularly autocross and slalom events, semi-rigid pylons—often traffic-style cones—delineate course boundaries, guiding vehicles through tight maneuvers while enforcing penalties for knockdowns. Requirements vary by organizing body, typically emphasizing visibility and stability using rubber or PVC construction to minimize damage upon impact. In autocross slaloms, pylons are spaced 30-50 feet apart to test handling, with a 0.75-meter (30-inch) height common for visibility in amateur events, though official rules prioritize uniformity over exact dimensions to ensure fair competition.[54] Other sports employ similar pylon designs for field boundaries, adapting polyurethane or foam materials for durability and player safety. In soccer training and youth setups, portable orange pylons mark penalty areas or small-sided goals, standing about 1 meter tall with weighted bases to withstand kicks or collisions, while track and field events use them as lane dividers or finish-line indicators, often in sets of flexible polyurethane to absorb impacts from hurdlers or sprinters. These markers emphasize visibility and resilience, with regulations in bodies like FIFA recommending non-rigid construction to prevent injuries during boundary enforcement.[49][55]Aviation Applications
Aircraft mounting pylons
Aircraft mounting pylons are external structural supports on aircraft that attach engines, weapons, or fuel tanks to the wings or fuselage, serving as streamlined fairings to reduce aerodynamic drag while transmitting loads from the attached components to the airframe.[56][57] These pylons are engineered to maintain structural integrity under high dynamic loads, including thrust, vibration, and aerodynamic forces, while minimizing interference with the aircraft's overall airflow.[58] In aviation, the term "pylon" emerged in the mid-20th century, particularly during the 1940s, to describe such mounting structures, evolving from basic struts to sophisticated aerodynamic designs.[59] The development of aircraft mounting pylons accelerated in the 1940s during World War II, when they were introduced on fighters like the North American P-51 Mustang to support underwing drop tanks, enabling extended range for long-range escort missions without significantly increasing drag.[60] These early pylons were typically metallic struts with basic fairings, but post-war advancements led to more refined shapes. In modern commercial aircraft, such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, pylons incorporate composite materials like carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) for reduced weight and improved corrosion resistance, comprising part of the airframe's approximately 50% composite structure by weight.[61][62] Design considerations for pylons emphasize aerodynamic efficiency, with shapes often derived from NACA airfoil profiles, such as the symmetric NACA 0012, to minimize drag coefficients—typically achieving incremental drag below 5 drag counts at cruise conditions for transport aircraft.[58] Materials like titanium alloys (e.g., Ti-6Al-4V) are selected for their high strength-to-weight ratio and fatigue resistance, allowing pylons to withstand load factors up to 9g in military applications while incorporating vibration damping features through elastomeric mounts or tuned structures to mitigate engine-induced oscillations.[63][64] Compression pylon geometries, which feature thinner profiles (6-12% thickness) and aft closure beyond the wing trailing edge, further reduce local flow velocities and prevent flow separation, outperforming traditional NACA profiles in transonic drag reduction.[58] Pylons fulfill critical functions as engine mounts, such as those supporting the CFM International CFM56 engines on the Airbus A320 family, where they integrate thrust links, shear pins, and fail-safe redundancies to transfer propulsion loads while housing fuel, hydraulic, and electrical systems.[65] In military jets, pylons act as weapon hardpoints, providing standardized attachment interfaces (e.g., MIL-STD-8591 compliant) for missiles, bombs, or pods, with multiple stations per wing to distribute payloads while maintaining balance and minimizing aeroelastic effects.[66] For instance, the B-1B Lancer is being equipped with new external pylons as of 2025 to carry up to 12 additional weapons, supporting upgrades for hypersonic integration.[67] Overall, these designs prioritize drag minimization through airfoil-inspired contours, ensuring pylons contribute less than 1% to total aircraft profile drag in optimized configurations.[68]Pylon turns in air racing
Pylon turns in air racing refer to coordinated, banked circular maneuvers executed by aircraft around fixed ground-based markers known as pylons, designed to maintain a constant turn radius and altitude while following a predefined closed-course race path. These turns form the core of pylon racing, where competitors fly low-altitude laps around a series of pylons, typically 50 feet tall, ensuring the aircraft remains outside an imaginary line connecting the markers to avoid penalties. The maneuver demands precise control to prevent "cutting" a pylon, which occurs if any part of the aircraft crosses inside the course boundary.[69] The practice originated in the 1920s during early U.S. air races, with pylon-marked courses first prominently featured in events like the 1924 International Air Races at Fairfield, Ohio, where competitors navigated turns around designated pylons under constant judicial oversight. By 1929, the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio, solidified pylon turns as a staple, incorporating closed-course formats that drew massive crowds and showcased rapid advancements in aircraft performance. These races, held annually through 1949, established the foundational rules for pylon navigation. The tradition was revived and standardized in the modern era through the National Championship Air Races, originally held in Reno, Nevada, beginning in 1964 and relocated to Roswell, New Mexico, as of 2025, where pylon turns remain central to the event's structure and safety protocols.[70][71][72] Executing pylon turns requires pilots to maintain bank angles of 45 to 60 degrees, allowing the aircraft to sustain high centripetal forces while keeping the pylon visually aligned under or near the wingtip for constant radius. Speeds during turns typically range from 300 to 500 km/h, varying by class and aircraft power, with pilots adjusting throttle and control inputs to compensate for wind drift and maintain coordinated flight without slipping or skidding. Rules mandate continuous visual contact with the pylons, enforced by judges stationed at each marker who flag infractions such as low passes or course deviations; for instance, in Reno races, pilots must keep their eye level at or above the pylon tops, with minimum altitudes tied to pylon height. Aircraft hardware, such as underwing mounting pylons for engines, supports the structural demands of these high-G maneuvers but is secondary to piloting skill.[73][69][74] Safety risks in pylon turns stem from the combination of low altitude—often 50 to 250 feet—and extreme speeds, increasing susceptibility to spatial disorientation, wake turbulence from preceding aircraft, and mechanical failures under high loads. A notable incident occurred during the 2011 Reno National Championship Air Races, where a modified P-51D Mustang (The Galloping Ghost) suffered an in-flight breakup due to elevator trim tab flutter during a high-speed approach to pylon 8 on the unlimited class course, resulting in the aircraft rolling to a 90-degree bank, a 17.3 G vertical acceleration peak, and a crash that killed the pilot and 10 spectators on the ground. This event prompted enhanced Federal Aviation Administration oversight, including revised course designs to widen turn radii and improve spectator barriers.[75][76] Pylon racing variations primarily manifest across competition classes within the closed-course format, with the unlimited class featuring highly modified World War II-era fighters capable of exceeding 500 mph on straights and executing aggressive turns on an 8.4-mile oval course marked by 10 pylons. In 2025, the Unlimited class withdrew from the event in Roswell, New Mexico, though other classes continued with pylon-based racing.[77] In contrast, classes like Sport or Formula One use smaller, production-based aircraft on shorter courses (e.g., 3.5 miles for Sport), with lower speeds (up to 300 mph) and milder bank requirements, emphasizing precision over raw power; start procedures also differ, with unlimited employing airborne formations while others use ground-based "racehorse" launches. These distinctions allow for diverse aircraft types while upholding core pylon turn principles.[69][78]Arts, Entertainment, and Media
Pylon (new wave band)
Pylon was an American post-punk band formed in 1979 in Athens, Georgia, by four art students at the University of Georgia: vocalist Vanessa Briscoe Hay, guitarist Randy Bewley, bassist Michael Lachowski, and drummer Curtis Crowe.[79][80] Emerging from the university's vibrant creative environment, the band blended new wave and post-punk with minimalist funk grooves, creating a danceable, energetic sound that emphasized raw performance art elements over polished production.[81][82] Their music, characterized by angular riffs, propulsive rhythms, and Hay's distinctive, conversational vocals, captured the DIY ethos of the era while drawing inspiration from acts like Talking Heads and no wave experimentalism.[79][81] The band's discography began with the debut single "Cool"/"Dub" in 1979, a raw 7-inch that introduced their infectious, groove-driven style and quickly gained traction in underground circles.[79][83] Their first full-length album, Gyrate (1980), expanded on this foundation with tracks like "Feast on My Heart" and "Precaution," earning praise for its urgent, art-punk energy and contributing to the growing Athens scene.[83] Chomp (1983) followed, refining their sound with sharper hooks and funkier basslines on songs such as "Crazy," which highlighted their ability to merge accessibility with avant-garde edge.[79][83] After disbanding in 1984 amid personal pursuits and burnout, Pylon briefly reformed in 1989 at the invitation of R.E.M., resulting in the 1990 album Chain, a more mature effort that echoed their earlier vitality while exploring broader alternative rock textures.[84][83] Pylon's influence extended far beyond their recordings, as they helped pioneer the Athens music scene's fusion of art, punk, and pop, inspiring contemporaries and successors like R.E.M., who covered "Crazy" and credited the band as a key influence on their jangle-pop sound.[79][85] This scene, which Pylon co-defined alongside the B-52's, became a cornerstone of 1980s American alternative rock, demonstrating that innovative music could thrive in a Southern college town.[82][79] The band reunited for tours from 2004 to 2009, reissuing early material and performing to enthusiastic crowds, but activities ceased following Bewley's death in 2009.[86][79] Hay has since carried forward their legacy through the Pylon Reenactment Society, a tribute project formed in 2014 that performs the band's catalog. In 2024, the group released their debut album Magnet Factory, blending Pylon's style with new material, and continued touring, including Southeast U.S. dates in 2025.[87][85][88][89]Pylon (1935 novel by William Faulkner)
Pylon is a 1935 novel by American author William Faulkner, published by Harrison Smith and Robert Haas in New York.[90] Set in the fictional city of New Valois, modeled after New Orleans during the Mardi Gras season amid the Great Depression, the story unfolds against the backdrop of an air show and airport dedication, capturing the era's fascination with aviation and technological progress.[91] Unlike Faulkner's more renowned works tied to his invented Yoknapatawpha County, Pylon explores an urban, anonymous Southern landscape, emphasizing modernity's disruptions and human alienation.[91] The plot centers on a itinerant group of barnstormers—a pilot named Roger Shumann, his wife La Verne (a parachutist and mechanic), her lover Jack Holmes (another parachutist), and their young son—struggling to survive through air races and performances.[91] A local reporter, referred to only as Lazarus, becomes entangled with the group, facilitating their purchase of a faulty plane that leads to tragedy during a race around pylons, resulting in Shumann's death and the family's dissolution.[91] This narrative of precarious existence highlights interpersonal tensions, including a love triangle, set against the chaotic carnival atmosphere of Mardi Gras. The aviation themes draw briefly from real 1930s pylon racing events, where pilots navigated tight courses marked by tall structures, symbolizing speed and peril.[92] Key themes include anonymity, as characters are often unnamed or vaguely described to underscore their fragmented identities and inner turmoil; the double-edged allure of technology, particularly aviation's promise of transcendence versus its deadly risks; and human disconnection, evident in the barnstormers' rootless, hand-to-mouth lives isolated from societal norms.[91] These motifs reflect Faulkner's broader critique of modernity, portraying individuals adrift in a mechanized world that erodes traditional bonds.[93] Faulkner's style employs stream-of-consciousness narration with rapid shifts in perspective, creating a disorienting, frenetic pace that mirrors the novel's aviation motifs and the 1930s obsession with flight as a symbol of escape and innovation.[91] The term "pylon" itself serves as a recurring metaphor for the structural markers in air races and the impersonal forces shaping human fate.[91] Upon release, Pylon garnered mixed reviews, with some praising its innovative energy and others criticizing its opacity and lack of cohesion compared to Faulkner's Southern gothic masterpieces.[92] An adaptation attempt in the late 1950s resulted in the 1958 film The Tarnished Angels, directed by Douglas Sirk, which received subdued critical and commercial reception despite featuring prominent actors.[94] In later decades, particularly through postmodern studies, the novel underwent reevaluation for its prescient exploration of fragmented identity and technological alienation, gaining appreciation as a modernist outlier in Faulkner's canon.[95] Written between Light in August (1932) and Absalom, Absalom! (1936), Pylon marks Faulkner's deliberate departure from the rural Yoknapatawpha saga, instead delving into the anonymous, industrialized facets of American modernity during the interwar period.[91] This shift allowed Faulkner to examine themes of existential drift and mechanical determinism without the weight of Southern history, positioning the work as a unique experiment in his oeuvre.[96]Technology and Miscellaneous Uses
Pylons Project (software framework)
The Pylons Project is an open-source initiative focused on developing web application technologies in Python, originating from the Pylons web framework created in September 2005 by Ben Bangert and James Gardner.[97] Initially emerging as a customization of the Myghty templating framework and merging efforts from the Bricks project, Pylons aimed to provide a lightweight, flexible alternative to heavier frameworks like Django, emphasizing rapid development and modularity.[97] The framework's early versions, such as 0.8 in 2005–2006 and the 0.9 series from 2006 to 2009, gained traction for their component-based design, which allowed developers to mix and match tools without rigid dependencies.[97] Pylons 1.0 was released in 2010, solidifying its position as a production-ready MVC (Model-View-Controller) framework compliant with the Web Server Gateway Interface (WSGI) standard.[97] Key components of the Pylons ecosystem include the core Pylons framework for handling web requests, the Beaker library for session management and caching, and the Routes library for URL dispatching.[98] Features emphasize modularity, enabling integration with various templating engines such as Mako for Pythonic templates or Genshi for XML-based rendering, while maintaining WSGI compliance to ensure portability across servers.[99] For example, URL dispatching in Pylons uses Routes to map paths to controllers and actions, as shown in a typical configuration:This declarative approach allows dynamic routing with variable extraction, promoting clean separation of concerns in MVC applications. The framework's design philosophy prioritizes extensibility, with middleware support via Paste for tasks like error handling and authentication, fostering reusable components over monolithic structures.[100] By 2010, the project evolved through a merger with the repoze.bfg framework, led by discussions between Bangert and repoze.bfg creator Chris McDonough, resulting in Pyramid as the successor.[101] Pylons 1.x entered maintenance-only mode post-merger, with the full integration into Pyramid completed around 2012, avoiding fragmentation in the Python web ecosystem.[97] This transition preserved Pylons' innovations in modularity and WSGI adherence, influencing subsequent frameworks by demonstrating the value of lightweight, composable tools; Pyramid itself continues active development under the Pylons Project umbrella.[101] The original Pylons framework's legacy endures in its role as a bridge between early Python web tools and modern practices, with ongoing community support via GitHub for bug fixes.[102]pythonmap.connect('/hello/{name}', controller='main', action='hello')map.connect('/hello/{name}', controller='main', action='hello')