Go now: It’s your last chance for the cool lights display on the light rail
From now until Feb. 29, four international and nationally acclaimed interactive light installations have popped up along the stretch of the Charlotte Rail Trail between the Carson Street light rail station and Sycamore Brewing as part of Center City Partners’ I Heart Rail Trail initiative.
“We wanted to create an experience for South End and Charlotte overall, and we thought it’d be fun to grow what we have going on with the rail trail,” said Robert Krumbine, Charlotte Center City Partner’s chief creative officer.
The location of these pieces along the rail trail makes it accessible through the LYNX light rail, bikes, scooters and pedestrians.
“It’s art that gives everyone a chance to enjoy it,” Krumbine said.
Each of the pieces has a playful, interactive element designed to delight and engage people of all ages and react to the constant flow of people that move along the light rail each day.
Here’s what you need to see while you’re visiting:
Sonic Forest
Christopher Janney’s piece “Sonic Forest,” located across from the Carson Street Station, features 16 8-foot-fall electronic trees equipped with photo-electric sensors. As people walk through the piece, their motions will trigger the trees to play melodies, whisper and glow different colors.
Passage
Across from Post South End Apartments near Bland Street, you can walk through “Passage,” a giant tunnel made of 20 circles of light and listen to ambient sounds that play as you stroll.
Echo
“Echo,” a piece on Kingston Plaza, reacts to sound waves to produce LED light ribbons along the length of 9-foot-tall ribbons.
Run Beyond
The final piece, “Run Beyond,” greets you at Sycamore Brewing. This installation was featured at the Amsterdam Light Festival and depicts an active figure making a dynamic leap along a stretch of the rail trail.
According to Krumbine, the active nature of these works “enhance the idea that you’ve got people running nearby and exercising. “It’s really a big giant symbol of that kind of energy,” he said.
Center City Partners decided to bring another interactive pop up exhibition to Charlotte after the the popular Charlotte Shout popup exhibit brought Charlotteans out in droves to take pictures with giant inflatable bunnies and play on glow in the dark seesaws last May.
There are plans in the works for installations similar to the ones featured in I Heart Rail Trail and Shout Charlotte to have permanent homes in Charlotte. Although they did not have the opportunity to solicit local artists because of time constraints, Krumbine said Center City Partners would like to promote the art of regionally-based artists in future projects.
This story was originally published February 14, 2020 at 1:50 PM.