SF’s UN Plaza is Getting a Mini Lighted LED Forest

Submitted by the Event Organizer

Beginning Friday night, January 26, 2024, a few of the elements from artist Charles Gadeken’s illuminated installation Entwined Meadow will dazzle visitors to UN Plaza with changing light and color, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department announced today.

The nine shrub sculptures, each composed of hundreds of LED lights at varying heights, arrived at UN Plaza Monday for installation from The Box Shop, Gadeken’s collaborative workspace in the Bayview for artists focused on metal and industrial arts. The sculptures were previously part of Entwined Meadow, a winter light installation in Golden Gate Park’s Peacock Meadow from 2020 to 2023.

The shrubs stand 4.5 to 5 feet high. Visitors can control the light radiating from each individual shrub from their smartphones as they stroll through the dynamic exhibit, which is designed to build a sense of magic and wonder. The lighting effects are inspired by nature. Raindrops, lightning, thunderstorms, windblown grass and leaves, and ripples on a pond are translated through color and duration.

The installation is the latest addition to a transformed UN Plaza, which reopened Nov. 8, 2023 and now serves as a dynamic hub for recreation and scheduled activities in the Civic Center neighborhood.  The revitalized space includes the nation’s first street skating plaza of its kind, a fitness court studio, activities, and games.

The $2 million renovation by the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department is part of a larger effort by city, state and federal partners, the Civic Center Benefit District, nonprofit organizations, law enforcement, and neighboring cultural institutions to transform the Civic Center area into a clean, safe, and vibrant public space for everyone. Its revitalization as a destination for City residents aligns with goals laid out in the Mayor’s Roadmap to San Francisco’s Future.

A new Gadeken installation, Elder Mother, is now in Golden Gate Park.

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