Artworks "Illuminate the Lock" at Upper St. Anthony Falls Four Nights in September
Monday, August 28, 2017 at 1:29PMVia an August 28 News Release:
ARTWORKS “ILLUMINATE THE LOCK” AT UPPER SAINT ANTHONY FALLS
Lock Wall Reawakened During Two-Part Series September 15-16 and 29-30
The 49-foot tall chamber of Upper Saint Anthony Falls Lock and Dam will become a canvas for experimental artworks this fall. Illuminate the Lock will take place from 8:00 to 10:30 p.m. on September 15-16 and September 29-30 at the Upper Saint Anthony Falls Lock and Dam. The two-part series is free and open to the public, and is presented in partnership with Northern Lights.mn, Mississippi Park Connection, and the National Park Service along with support from St. Anthony Falls Heritage Board and the US Army Corps of Engineers.
“A goal of the series is to demonstrate artistic uses for this unique infrastructure no longer used for river navigation”, said Steve Dietz, President and Artistic Director, Northern Lights.mn. “How might artists re-imagine this space? What other stories can be told there?”
Surface by artist Aaron Dysart kicks off the series on September 15 and 16, using years of handwritten data recorded by Army Corps of Engineers staff at the Lock as the basis for a light show. Daily pool heights will translate into shifting colors projected on atmospheric effects created in the lock chamber. The spectacle will display the 52-year operating history of this iconic Minneapolis space through near daily observations by the people who tended it. Dysart’s presentation is also part of Here and There presented by The Soap Factory.
The second part takes place September 29 and 30 and features The Uncompromising Hand by Andrea Carlson. This projection engages Spirit Island, a limestone island and Dakota sacred site that was once in the Mississippi River near the current Lock and Dam. The lock wall will come alive with a hand drawn animation based on six photographs of the island from the MN Historical Society’s collection, which plot the island’s lengthy dismantle between the 1890’s and 1960’s. Text in Dakota and Ojibwe will accompany the animation.
“This series of nighttime artworks will provide a very special way to experience our already spectacular national park”, said Katie Nyberg, executive director, Mississippi Park Connection. “The lock remains an incredible marvel with a dynamic history and we are eager to see it in a new light.”
For more information on Illuminate the Lock, visit parkconnection.org.
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI PARK CONNECTION
Mississippi Park Connection is the proud nonprofit partner of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, a national park in the Twin Cities. Its mission it to strengthen the enduring connection between people and the Mississippi River by enriching the life of the river and the lives of all who experience our national park. Through education, stewardship and community engagement, Mississippi Park Connection provides opportunities for people to have a national park experience right in the Twin Cities. (parkconnection.org)
ABOUT THE MISSISSIPPI NATIONAL RIVER AND RECREATION AREA
In 1988, a National Park was created to enhance the significant values of the waters and land of the Mississippi River corridor within the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Known as the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, the park extends for more than 70 miles along the river, running directly through metropolitan area (the park corridor begins in Ramsey and Dayton and ends just south of Hastings). The park provides leadership, acting as a facilitator and coordinator, in promoting a common vision for river corridor management among 25 municipalities and numerous partner agencies and organizations, whose responsibilities intersect. Learn more at nps.gov/miss.
ABOUT NORTHERN LIGHTS.MN
Northern Lights.mn supports artists in the creation and presentation of art in the public sphere, focusing on innovative uses of technology to imagine new interactions between audience, artwork and place and to explore expanded possibilities for civic engagement. (northern.lights.mn)
ABOUT THE SOAP FACTORY
The Soap Factory is a laboratory for artistic experimentation and innovation, dedicated to supporting artists and engaging audiences through the production and presentation of contemporary art in a unique and historic environment. Based in the historic National Purity Soap Factory in downtown Minneapolis, The Soap Factory is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. (soapfactory.org)
