Light the way
Huge public art installations from around the world will light up Scottsdale for the 2020 Canal Convergence.
This year, artists have adapted augmented reality technology into their work so viewers can interact without getting close to each other.
“We’re doing this, but we want folks to stay safe,” said Kim Boganey, director of Scottsdale Public Art. “The artworks will not be physically interactive this year because of safety concerns, but what’s new this year is an augmented reality presence.”
The OGE Group from Israel created a 32foot-tall light sculpture of multicolored hands titled “Together! Responding to CO
What to know about Canal Convergence
2020
VID-19.” Viewers can upload messages that will be incorporated into the art.
MASARY Studios’ “Massively Distributed” created an app for its installation. Through the app, viewers can create music and sounds that will play from the artwork.
In another nod to safety, Scottsdale Public Art, which launched Canal Convergence in 2012, will expand the event beyond the Arizona Canal at the Scottsdale Waterfront. Some pieces will be along the waterfront; others will be placed throughout Old Town Scottsdale to minimize crowding.
“We had to really rethink how we connect because we physically can’t connect. So the thought was, how can we somehow use public art as a way to reconnect,” Boganey said.
“People can come with their families, they can stay in their cars, they can walk. This time it’s about how folks can reconnect differently.”
When does Canal Convergence begin?
Canal Convergence is a 10-day experience that runs Nov. 6-15.
Tickets
Viewing the large-scale art installations and virtual performances at Canal Convergence is free. Tickets for virtual workshops cost $5-$10 and must be purchased in advance at https://canalconvergence.com.
Canal Convergence 2020 installations
● “Across the Divide,” by Casey Farina, is a video installation that uses projection mapping across multiple windows to produce visual habitats where abstracted human forms reside.
● “Fences,” by Philadelphia’s Immerge Interactive, is an interactive light installation in which patterns are generated by the motion of foot traffic along a custom LED display.
● “Hidden Garden,” by Koros Design, comprises four inflatable light sculptures where artistic flowers wrap around real trees, extending the “green space” of the city and creating a playful atmosphere.
● “Information Flow,” by Justin Winters and Walter Productions, is an interactive sculpture that represents the hidden digital network of communication surrounding us.
● “Kukulkan’s Portal,” by Liquid PXL of Los Angeles, is a geometric sculpture featuring 10,000 individually programmable LEDs, honoring new discoveries in mathematics and science through its
modular design.
● “Massively Distributed,” by MASARY Studios, is a community-driven public art expression featuring sampled sound and visual textures from the Scottsdale area.
● “Spectrum (Frame Version),” by Paris-based Olivier Ratsi, is a luminous installation of 20 suspended LED frames, stretching 40 feet across Marshall Way Bridge to display all the colors in the visible spectrum.
● “Together! Responding to COVID-19,” by OGE Group of Haifa, Israel, is a 32-foot-high sculpture of multicolored hands coming together, holding each other and forming the shape of a heart. Messages for an augmented reality experience can be sent to https://www.together-in-light.com.
How to view augmented reality experiences on your phone
This year Canal Convergence offers experiences you can participate in via cellphone. Virtual artist talks, tours and interactive animations can be found throughout the exhibit.
Before visiting Canal Convergence, download the Hoverlay app and follow instructions to install the Hoverlay camera browser app on your mobile device. Search for the “CanalConvergence” channel and look for QR codes on signs or ground stickers at the Scottsdale Waterfront and around Old Town Scottsdale. Hover your phone over the QR codes to engage with the experience.
Most of the temporary Canal Convergence installations have augmented reality features. Two artworks exist only in augmented reality.
Links to all of the artworks with augmented reality components can be found at https://canalconvergence .com/work/augmented-reality-and-art .
Virtual workshops
Workshop presenters include some of the artists behind the Canal Convergence artworks, such as members of Koros Design, who will provide a workshop from their studio in Budapest, Hungary. Sign up for workshops at https://canalconvergence.com. Workshop options include:
● Family Project: Kaleidoscopes with Koros: Join members of Koros Design to create a kaleidoscope.
● From Algorithms to Artwork by Casey Farina: This workshop will take realworld instructions and translate them into computer code. Participants will leave with code sketches that can be used as the foundation for future projects.
● Collective Chorus: Neighborhood Sign Intervention by Kristin Bauer: This workshop will use language, sustainable materials and the participants’ homes as places for making things and
as platforms for thoughtful reconnection with the community.
● Art Can Get You Through by Mary Neubauer: In this two-part workshop, participants will be inspired by artists to create something unique and powerful that expresses their ideas about this unprecedented time.
● Radial Reconnection by Kyllan Maney: Participants will create a circular design that sends a message about sustainability, transforming ideas about water, light and ecology into a colorful mandala-like artwork.
● Illuminated Watercolor Cards by the Walter Hive: Participants will create abstract watercolor paintings using a variety of techniques and learn to illuminate them using paper electronics designs.
● Silly Love Songs by AJ Odneal: Participants will join singer-songwriter AJ Odneal for an interactive songwriting activity that could result in a piece of music that uses their ideas.
● Connect Creatively With Music by AJ Odneal: Participants will join Odneal for an interactive songwriting hour that promises to nurture their imagination.