#DLECTRICITY presents “ephemeral angels” by Mariana Carranza, an interactive audio-visual installation, which invites participation and movement, a poetic and lighthearted experience. Visitors see themselves as reflected in a mirror with wings of white plumage, like a magical mirage. The movement of the wings activates a particles system, generating lights and sounds.
See this project TONIGHT and tomorrow projected outside the Detroit Institute of Arts!
#DLECTRICITY presents “Distances” by Scenocosme: Gregory Lasserre and Anais Met Den Ancxt, interactive artwork that virtually brings together people who are not able to touch physically. This artwork was born in April 2020 in response to the Coronavirus crisis that forced us to physically and socially distance.
In this installation, 2 persons in 2 separate physical spaces are filmed in real time by 2 devices, where they are invited to have contact virtually within the same image bringing them together face to face. The images of their faces, their hands are attracted and create unique ephemeral meetings with the other. This artwork is participatory in its creative process for the 2 visitors interacting at the same time. It will be projected outside the Detroit Institute of Arts tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday at DLECTRICITY!
#DLECTRICITY presents “Ghost Trees” by Nature as Data, which are projections of ephemeral, fixed recordings that portray dying ecosystems; digital memories of disappearing landscapes, echoes of our lost environment.Created by visualising and sonifying big data-sets provided by TERN (Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network). Ghost Trees brings to life the endangered Rushworth Forest, (Victoria, Australia) in the lands of the Ngurai-illam-wurrung people.
You can see this installation projected on to the side of the Detroit Institute of Arts TOMORROW (Friday) and Saturday from 7pm-midnight at DLECTRICITY.
#DLECTRICITY presents “Street Art Opera: Double Bill” by Dumbworld Ltd., a unique blend of contemporary classical music, opera, street art and animation, presented as an outdoor video and sound installation projected onto city walls / buildings.
Each 10-minute opera will project on the side of the Detroit Institute of Arts both Friday and Saturday of DLECTRICITY!
Produced by Midtown Detroit, Inc., DLECTRICITY returns with over 40 art installations from Cultural Center and Beacon Park on September 24 & 25
This weekend Midtown Detroit will light up with DLECTRICITY, where attendees can walk, bike and explore an illuminated Cultural Center and Beacon Park for the outdoor nighttime festival of art and light. DLECTRICITY will showcase over 40 artists from Detroit and across the globe who have been commissioned to create stunning art, light and technology installations. Produced by Midtown Detroit, Inc. and presented by DTE Energy Foundation, DLECTRICITY will take place in open, public spaces on Sept. 24 and 25, 2021 from 7 p.m. to Midnight. A complete list of artists and event details may be found here. Images are available here and a video is available here.
“We are excited for DLECTRICITY’s highly anticipated return this weekend, celebrating the immense power of art and culture in bringing us together,” said Susan Mosey, executive director, Midtown Detroit, Inc. “The festival is back and bigger than ever this year, featuring over 40 incredible artists and installations from around the world and Detroit. We are grateful to our partners whose support makes it possible to bring this beautiful outdoor event to Midtown Detroit, allowing us to safely connect with art and one another.”
The event is inspired by other international festivals known for bringing the best of contemporary light and technology-based arts to the streets of major cities from all over the world. DLECTRICITY features artists from Australia, France, Germany, Japan, New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Detroit.
DLECTRICITY 2021 marks the fourth edition and includes the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, College for Creative Studies, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Historical Museum, Detroit Public Library, Michigan Science Center, Scarab Club, the University of Michigan’s Rackham Building, Beacon Park and DTE’s Circle Park. DLECTRICITY has presented major light-based festivals in 2012, 2014 and 2017.
DLECTRICITY will host internationally acclaimed artists including Yann Nguema, Amanda Parer, among others to show a range of high-quality light-based projects. Artists include:
Jake Fried | Brain Wave, Mind Frame and Night Vision | Three video projections of mesmerizing hand-drawn stop-motion animations | Michigan Science Center, 5020 John R St, Detroit, MI 48202
Tiff Massey | Get Big! | Interactive audiovisual installation that immerses visitors in a real-time music video | Detroit Public Library Cass Avenue Entrance, Main Branch, 5201 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202
Amanda Parer | Man | Giant illuminated inflatable sculpture of a contemplative figure | Detroit Public Library – Main Branch, 5201 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202
Yann Nguema | Parallels | Mapped video projection with sound and lasers featuring elaborate animations based on art objects from the Detroit Institute of Arts collection | Presented in partnership with the Detroit Institute of Arts | Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48202
New D Media | Bird in Paradise | Mapped video projection of a historical and dreamlike journey inside the mind of Jazz legend Charlie “The Bird” Parker | Presented in partnership with the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History | Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, 315 E Warren Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
Mentalgassi | Illuminated Balloon Heads – Detroit | Portraits of notable Detroiters on large, illuminated inflatable spheres | College for Creative Studies, Josephine F. Ford Sculpture Garden, 201 E Kirby St, Detroit, MI 48202
Jake Chidester and Aliysn Malek/Corktown Studios| The Sidewalk Ballet AKA: The Arkestral Procession |Interactive audiovisual mechanisms that turns visitors into walking instruments | College for Creative Studies, Josephine F. Ford Sculpture Garden, 201 E Kirby St, Detroit, MI 48202
Stephanie Dinkins | On Love & Data and Holding Space | Video projection that illuminates the power and resilience in black women’s stories, reminding us that sharing and receiving stories is an act of resistance | Curated and presented by Stamps Gallery, University of Michigan | University of Michigan Horace H. Rackham Educational Memorial Building, 60 Farnsworth St., Detroit, MI 48202
Nat Morris and friends | The Scene | Programmed music stage and dance floor based on “The Scene,” Detroit’s popular televised dance show from the 1970s-80s | DTE’s Circle Park 1 Energy Plaza, Detroit, MI 48226
The DLECTRICITY Light Bike Parade, the official “Rolling Art Installation,” sponsored by Shinola is returning on Saturday, September 25. Starting at Traffic Jam & Snug Restaurant, the electrifying 3-mile route will include Midtown and Beacon Park. The public is invited to participate, and registration is now open here.
DLECTRICITY is partnering with QLINE, which will offer special free service for DLECTRICITY on Friday and Saturday night beginning at 6 p.m. The QLINE will feature their own special moving art installation. For details on the QLINE, please visit qlinedetroit.com.
Face masks are encouraged for festival attendees with mask-required zones for specific experiences; hand sanitizing stations will be found throughout the festival footprint; and open spaces will encourage social distancing.
Detroit’s Cultural Center is an 83-acre site in the Midtown district. The space has some of the most preeminent institutions of Detroit, which together represent the highest density of cultural institutions per acre in the country outside of the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. Prior to COVID, the Cultural Center attracted 2 million visitors per year.
DLECTRICITY is presented by DTE Energy Foundation. Partners providing funding for this arts celebration include the William Davidson Foundation, Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, Detroit Institute of Arts, Midtown Detroit, Inc., Downtown Detroit Partnership, Rocket Community Fund, MI Humanities, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, Marc Schwartz, Lisa Applebaum, Shinola Detroit and the Farbman Group. Media sponsors include Fox 2 Detroit and WDET 101.9 FM. For more information, visit dlectricity.com.
*Editor’s note: Midtown Detroit, Inc. will host a press preview the evening of Thursday, September 23. For more information, please visit here.
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Heather George, Lovio George, 248-417-5773, [email protected]
Annmarie Borucki, Midtown Detroit, Inc., 313-420-6000, [email protected]
Midtown Detroit, Inc. (MDI) is a nonprofit planning and development agency charged with revitalization of Detroit’s Woodward Corridor. Representing over 150 area stakeholders, including Detroit’s anchor educational, medical and cultural institutions, MDI provides public space maintenance and security services; marketing support; technical assistance; infrastructure and real estate development; small business support; grant administration; and arts programming for the district. Visit midtowndetroitinc.org for more info.
Arts and culture are on fire this weekend in #Detroit! Our friends at the Michigan Opera Theatre – Detroit Opera House will be performing “Bliss,” an immersive performance art piece that replays three sublime minutes of The Marriage of Figaro with the same cast and same orchestra without pause for twelve hours on Saturday, September 25th, beginning at 12PM. Audiences are invited to come and go as they please, staying for 12 minutes or all 12 hours, with a “pay what you can” admission. (Sounds like something we would do!) This site-specific re-staging of the work by MOT Artistic Director Yuval Sharon aims to capture a state of wonder as sublime music and a landmark Detroit gem meet. And yes, it’s happening in another parking garage!
Go see “Bliss,” then check out #DLECTRICITY at DTE’s Beacon Park and in the Cultural Center this weekend. And wear a mask! Buy your tickets here: https://michiganopera.org/season-schedule/bliss/.
A handy Bliss FAQ page can be found here.
And thanks to our mutual sponsors Knight Foundation and Rocket Community Fund for making all of this possible!
It’s a disco get down! #DLECTRICITY presents “The Scene” by Nat Morris and friends, a large open-air dance floor in Circle Park (near Beacon Park), along with DJs, dancers, and other local talent. In partnership with WDET 101.9FM, this installation will pay homage to The Scene and Detroit’s legendary music history with programming from 7PM to midnight each night of the festival.
WGPR was the first African American owned and operated television station licensed by the FCC in The United States. The Scene was perhaps the most popular local show to be broadcast on the station and would unwittingly end up giving birth to an entire generation of dance music and influence millions globally in the process.
#DLECTRICITY is grateful for returning sponsor Rocket Community Fund’s patronage of this year’s festival! Rocket Community Fund’s commitment to supporting inclusive, thriving and resilient communities has been evident in their continued support for DLECTRICITY and funding arts and culture in the city of Detroit.
Featured project is “Men Who Devour Themselves in Mirrors” by Logan Dandridge, a single-channel video installation that critiques the intersection of athletics and race in the American south. In making visible both the restrictions and the freedoms of digital culture, artist Logan Dandridge explores how identities and histories are created, transformed, or invented. The exhibited work manipulates technologies to narrate, alter, augment, or invent new identities and histories – to imagine another world. The video will be projected on the outside of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History THIS WEEKEND, September 24th and 25th, at DLECTRICITY!
If you’re looking for a ride, or prefer to bike to DLECTRICITY, MoGo is the perfect option! Not only does Mogo have 3 stations within DLECTRICITY’s festival footprint, they’re also offering $8 off their Prepaid pass for the entire weekend!
DLECTRICITY is happening this Friday and Saturday, September 24th and 25th, from 7pm-midnight. See you there!
