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The Bay Lights: Demo/Test Night | SF

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Thursday, January 24, 2013 - 8:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*Free to watch

Embarcadero | 4 Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA

Event Details

“The Bay Lights” Bay Bridge Light Show

The Bay Lights is an iconic light sculpture designed by internationally renowned artist Leo Villareal. This stunning fine arts experience will shine from dusk to midnight for two years on the San Francisco Bay Bridge West Span. It’s scheduled to relaunch as a permanent art piece on January 30, 2016 after a massive overhaul.

Seven times the scale of the Eiffel Tower’s 100th Anniversary lighting, The Bay Lights is the world’s largest light sculpture, 1.8 miles wide and 500 feet high.

Using 25,000 white individually programmed LED lights, artist Leo Villareal will create complex algorithms and patterns in a dazzling display across the bridge’s west span.

Thursday, January 24, 2013
Demo/Test Night | “The Bay Lights” Bay Bridge Light Show

On January 24-25, 2013 you’ll get a sneak peak at watching the art of The Bay Lights during its testing phase. The artist, Leo Villareal has flown into SF and be testing/sequencing Thursday and Friday nights

The testing will start at approximately 8pm each night (subject to change, so be patient… remember this is just a test) And Leo is planning to debug and sequence for a few hours… Weather, technology, etc., will contribute to how long he works each night.

>> Best viewing location: Anywhere with a view of the northern face of the west span (SF side) of Bay Bridge – like Embarcadero, Ferry Building or Treasure Island.

Last week the test was on just one tower; this week he’ll be testing more than halfway across the bridge

By the time March 5th arrives, we envision The Bay Lights will become an unfurling ribbon of silent, stunning delight; the firepit around which a vast community calmly connects.

This is a work in progress, and you can tell when Leo has the controls vs. the technology team. When the tech team is trying to identify system glitches and determine what is hardware versus software related, the effect is boxy and strobe-like. When Leo is at the controls, the work instantly moves to the sublime. From time to time the work will freeze and you may think there’s a problem. What’s really happening is that the work is on pause as Leo makes note of a particular effect. It’s fascinating to watch Leo cultivating and harvesting algorithms to create the final, non-repeating sequencing of the work.

We invite you to gather your friends, find a place facing the north side of the Bay Bridge’s west span, and stay awhile. There’s something special about witnessing the work in progress—it deepens the connections with what is to come.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.


Cost: FREE*
*Free to watch
Categories: *Top Pick*, Art & Museums, KFOG, San FranFREEsco
Address: 4 Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA