Artists Installations
Denise Henrikson lead the procession with SALMON IS LIFE: We stand for salmon and for those who have no voice. Standing for the salmon is standing for nature and so also for humanity, because we too, are nature. Salmon are a keystone species; at least 137 different species depend on the nutrients that wild salmon provide. Salmon are also an indicator species, like the canaries in the coal mine of climate change. The conditions that support the salmon are the same that support our lives: clean water, clean air, vibrant forests, healthy soil. Changing human behavior to the degree that is necessary cannot take place in the mind alone. Change must take place in the heart. How do we awaken the human heart? Perhaps we can awaken through creative expressions that call to our deeper connections with nature and each other, through beauty, reverence, awe, and gratitude for the natural world.
Beth Gahan and Liz Tran presented COSMIC INTERFERENCE, large paintings on billowing fabric suspended in the tree canopy overhead and activated with animated lights. With a combination of cast shadows and colorful organic and geometric forms, “Cosmic Interference” created an otherworldly atmosphere.
Bryan Ressler and Dan Walker brought the work of Briar Bates. RIPPLES is the last piece Briar competed before her passing. Briar was involved in The Glow for many years and will be missed. Cascading light falls from the heavens and pools on the ground, rippling outward. Ripples, uses sculptural form and modern technology to turn the everyday idea of falling rain into a large-scale light sculpture. Five long strands of LED-lit drops cascade down into LED-lit ripples, fanning out from where the drops land.
Melissa Koch presented WATER with the support of sewing by Jeannine Onsum of Frayed Edge, and installation help from Dan Gurney. WATER is a temporary art installation/luminary that celebrates the sacredness of water. The project was inspired by the amazing wetlands, marshes, streams and rivers existing in the Northwest and honors the Duwamish tribe known as hah-chu-ahbsh ( Lake People) who were the original inhabitants of the land in this area. The artwork consisted of imagery representing the nature of water in its varying forms: raining, coursing, flowing, rippling, rolling, splashing, shimmering and that is the element that supports life and connects us to one another and to our environment.
Tory Franklin presented THE PEACOCK MAIDEN: this turn crank toy theater showed a scene from the Chinese version of The Swan Maiden tale. This is the first part of a larger body of work that will tell scenes from different cultures of the same tale that will be on view at different sites around King County next summer.
Joe Griffith presented 3D Mapping Projections.
Sarah Lovett returned with her beloved OWL: The Long Eared Owl was constructed for Arts-a-glow in 2011. Owl is made with a reed frame, reinforced with corrugated plastic, zip ties, and tea dyed silk. It is fully articulated and is illuminated with a set of LED lights.
The Totally Legit Art Group and Friends, including Shelly Farnham, Ben Flaster, Lea Willingham, Jeff Larson, Josh Lind, Chris D'Annunzio and more presented THE WONDERING WOODS: What if the trees could talk? People took a walk through a sensing, conscious forest. These Wondering Woods collaborative installations were created as a part of Electric Sky, an art and tech weekend retreat.
Rob Falk presented THE GARDEN OF ECHOS: Alien bioluminescent flowers bide in a stand of trees, reacting to their environment and communicating with each other.
Suzanne Tidwell presented ILLUMINATED VINES: Brightly colored stands of flowering vine will cascade down the hillside behind the Dottie Harper House.
Brian Ernst, Mike Dodds, Alan Hudson, Kyle Miller, Danne Stayskal presented SHADOWS: An equilateral triangle is suspended, point down. Light and sound are responsive to the participant’s location and movements, animating the sculpture. Together the participant and the sculpture become the art.
Kristie Maxim presented the UPNAUTS: Wandering Bauhaus inspired futuristic space travelers light up the night.
Oleana Perry brought back her glowing flowers and created a selfie station: Say Cheesy!.
Kathy Justin llluminated the pathways of the park.
The Arts-A-Glow Festival, including the exhibition of illuminated sculpture and performance, is made possible with the support of the City of Burien, ArtsWA, NEA Art Works, Ignition Northwest, and 4 Culture.
