Tag: DLECTRICITY

Our open call has ended, but this is just the beginning!

And that’s a wrap! Our 2020 DLECTRICITY Open Call for Entries closed last night at midnight, and we are both inspired and impressed by the range of ideas that have been submitted! We are grateful for the interest shown in the festival. Artists from 33 countries sent in proposals, including many local Detroiters (see above map). We deeply appreciate each artist for taking their time to develop such awesome ideas for DLECTRICITY.

THANK YOU!

DLECTRICITY is grounded on the mission to support both emerging and established artists, local or international. Each festival has been at once spectacular, innovative and a worthwhile experience thanks to the artists selected from our open call. We value their skillsets, creativity and drive—these are the people that make up DLECTRICITY! And we have the utmost respect for all the artists who pursued this open call opportunity.

Our reach grew this year, and for that we can thank our community partners for helping us spread the word: The Cranbrook Academy of Art, Design Core Detroit, the DTE Foundation & DTE’s Beacon Park, Mercury Sound & Lighting, MOCAD and the Toledo Arts Commission. We’d also like to thank all of our past artists for sharing their experiences with others—the arts community is strong and resourceful, and we’re happy to be a part of it as well as support it.

Here’s what’s next:

Mid-March: The curatorial committee convenes for the first phase of selection.

Late March–Late April: the projects selected by the curatorial committee go through a technical vetting process. This takes about six weeks.

Summer: project selections are confirmed and publicly announced!

This is just the beginning… we are really looking forward to reviewing everyone’s submissions and seeing which ones will come to life at DLECTRICITY! Stay tuned for now.

DLECTRICITY Site #10: The Detroit Institute of Arts

The Detroit Institute of Arts is known to be one of the most culturally significant institutions in the Midwest. With over 65,000 works of art in its collection, the DIA is home to notable masterpieces such as Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry frescoes, and houses Vincent van Gogh’s Self Portrait—the first artwork by van Gogh to enter a U.S. collection. The DIA is also a strong community partner to all of the Metro Detroit area. In addition to supporting local contemporary artists, the museum has made it a priority to build an art collection that reflects the diversity of metro Detroit and has also embarked on educational endeavors that encourage visitors to engage with artworks, history and each other.

The DIA’s lawn is spacious and offers the perfect spot for DLECTRICITY to host “Electric Park”—a family and kid-friendly site for interactive installations on the North-West lawn. This DLECTRICITY feature is one of our most eventful, and the open green space, winding path and plethora of trees is very welcoming to fun projects. Among these, Arts & Scraps hosted a workshop that allowed DLECTRICITY visitors to explore how white light is made up of primary colors.

Across from Electric Park, on the South-West lawn of the museum, is the same topography to accommodate bold and experimental works. The museum’s building provides smooth, flat and light-colored surfaces at different parts for video projections and dazzling light shows. The perimeter of the building offers other wall surfaces and more. The back staircase was transformed into a theater by Apetechnology in 2017.

The museum sits as one of the first sites at the entrance of the DLECTRICITY footprint, and each festival year it is one of the most bustling. We thank the DIA for their contributions to past DLECTRICITYs and again for 2020!

DIA Woodward entrance
Tsz Yan Ng with Helen Kang and Justin Kollar, “SteroNegative (A Tribute to Tony Smith)” on the front lawn of the DIA, DLECTRICITY 2012
Apetechnology, “The Shadows of Stendrotron” at the foot of the DIA back staircase, DLECTRICITY 2017

DLECTRICITY Site #8: The Cathedral Church of St. Paul

The Cathedral Church of St. Paul is the ideal site for lovers of architecture. The Cathedral’s alluring façade sits on Woodward avenue and faces Wayne State’s Woodward | Warren Greenspace. It’s located in the center of DLECTRICITY’s Midtown footprint, and each festival year, it’s architecture successfully entices visitors to see what’s going on inside and outside its space.

The nationally recognized building was designed and constructed in 1907 by the architect Ralph Adams along with his associates at Cram, Goodhue and Ferguson. The Cathedral is emblematic of Gothic Revival architecture. The National Park Service calls the Detroit cathedral “one of the first and finest examples of the Late Gothic Revival” (NPS.gov).

Gothic Revival architecture first flourished in England until it hit the United States by the 20th century. The style aspires to develop from the original gothic style of Medieval architecture. It was a contrast to the popular Neo-Classica designs that were prevalent in 19th-century buildings.

Indoors, the cathedral is beautifully designed with gothic-inspired furnishings and remarkable decorative details. In the past, artists have used the architectural components of the space to accentuate the aura of their art. Japan-based artist Akiko Nakayama painted live at the Cathedral of St. Paul for DLECTRICITY 2017, and the ethereal aura of the space complemented the changing pictures and sounds of her performance, together making an extraordinary experience. Other artists that have exhibited inside the cathedral for DLECTRICITY include Zackery Belanger in 2014 and Sarah Rara in 2017.

On the outside, the cathedral provides a courtyard space for more a variety of work, from projections to performance. Here, artist and dancer Biba Bell conceived a performance for DLECTRICITY 2012. In its essence, it was part installation, part dance: harnessed to the backs of eight dancers, light and images traced movement pathways and lit up the exterior walls of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul. The exterior space of the cathedral also hosted the works of Charlotte Becket in 2014 and Nikola Dike in 2017.

In addition to its history and architecture, the Cathedral Church of St. Paul is a dedicated organization to its community. We give them our thanks for lending its space to DLECTRICITY!

DLECTRICITY Site #1: Legends Plaza at the Detroit Historical Museum

One of our most favorite locations for showcasing large-scale projections is Legends Plaza at the Detroit Historical Museum, but the best part about collaborating with artists on DLECTRCITY is witnessing the unexpected ways they illuminate a space like this!

The Detroit Historical Museum is the city’s premier destination for time traveling. You can walk the winding streets of Old Detroit, follow the Underground Railroad or make your way through an automotive factory—these are just few of the many things that the museum has to offer! Their permanent and temporary exhibitions never neglect to give visitors valuable take-aways: insight into Detroit milestones and hardships, and a deeper appreciation for where our city stands today.

The Detroit Historical Museum is operated by the Detroit Historical Society, an organization dedicated to the preservation of Detroit history and artifacts, founded in 1921. It also oversees the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle State Park. The Detroit Historical Museum was founded in 1928. It was then a small museum, occupying only a suite on the 23rd floor of what is now the Cadillac Tower in Downtown Detroit. Today, the museum is located in the cultural center of the city.

On the corner of Woodward Avenue and Kirby Street is Legends Plaza, a public memorial site dedicated to the cultural groundbreakers that hail from Detroit. Handprints of legends like Juan Atkins and Barry Sanders trim the perimeter of the plaza, making for an inspiring welcome to the Detroit Historical Museum and the perfect entryway to DLECTRICITY. The museum’s light-colored walls have previously allowed artists to transform the site into a theater, and the open space is large enough for a performance of any kind. In the past, DLECTRICITY has showcased artists such as Pope.L and Sue De Beer in the plaza, and we can’t wait to see who and what will be reimagining the exterior of the museum this coming September! Huge thanks to the Detroit Historical Society for providing another great site for art!

Installation shot of Sue De Beer’s film, The Legendary Leland City Club, presented at DLECTRICITY in 2014.
View of the Detroit Historical Museum and Legends Plaza on the corner of Woodward and Kirby.

DTE Energy Sponsors DLECTRICITY 2017

Thanks to DTE Energy for their generous presenting sponsorship of DLECTRICITY. We couldn’t ask for a better partner to energize Detroit with public art and light! DTE is returning as a major sponsor for this year’s festival and joins a growing list of returning and new funders for DLECTRICITY, including The Kresge Foundation, The Knight Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Detroit Institute of Arts, Bluewater, Wayne State University, and Hyphen Advisory.

We encourage you to check out the development of DTE Energy’s new “Beacon Park” located on Cass Avenue and Grand River in Detroit – adjacent to DTE’s headquarters campus. Beacon Park will open to the public on Thursday, July 20, 2017, kicking off four days of grand opening events that include live music, a night market and family entertainment. You can check out lighting activations developed by former Dlectricity artist Mindfield that will illuminate the park after dark. Learn more here: https://goo.gl/y9QFH6.