Academy Street Artwork Presents 

A series of light installations in downtown Cary to brighten up the sky starting the new year. Be on the lookout as these artworks of innovative technology and light pop-up in various locations along Academy Street and in the new downtown park!

GLOW Kick-off is January 11, 2025

Downtown Cary Park, 6-7:30 p.m.

Cary's 4th Annual Lantern Parade will kick-off this years GLOW outdoor exhibition on Saturday, January 11, 2025! Join us as dozens brave the cold and gather with their lights and handcrafted paper lanterns to join together in downtown Cary Park. Click here to learn more about the 2025 Under the Silver Moon Community Lantern Parade.

GLOW 2025 Installations

Olivier Landreville & Creos: e/motion

Interactive Light Sea-saws

Location: Old Library Site

FEELING WAVY

Created by Olivier Landreville, e/motion is a revisited version of our childhood see-saw that invites you to dive into the joys and sensations of surging water. As you ride this infinite wave, the glowing liquid acts like a living entity that responds to your ups and downs.

From the integrated lit waves and water drops handlebars, to the soundscape redolent of the sea, users and bystanders are invited to explore e/motion’s magical ocean ambience from every angle. Is the base a whale’s tail or two water droplets? Let your imagination answer.
Sea-saw your way through this one-of-a-kind experience. Come for the laughter, stay for the memories.

e/motion was created by Olivier Landreville in collaboration with Serge
Maheu, produced by Init and is tour produced by Creos.

^{e/motion, a creation by Olivier Landreville © Init}

Matt McConnell: Chalice

Light Sculpture

Location: TBD

McConnell Studios will install a light wave structure which opens at the center to allow visitors to walk inside and look up towards the sky. The piece will be 18' x 7' x7' and built in stainless steel with LED lighting on every fourth line.

Chalice blends color and light in vertical visual waves which draw the viewer's eye upwards towards the sky. The slightest change in perspective creates an visually altered form, especially at night. The open center allows the participants to walk inside, shifting their focus vertically. Motion sensors will act as gateways activating waves of complimentary colors through the more stable slow evolution of color in fiber optic systems lining every vertical element. The work is meant to reflect on the complexity of layering energy and relationships, which shift with only the slightest change.

Rhett Hissam & LEVR Studios: Greenhouse

Projection Installation 

Location: Old Library Site

Rhett Hissam + LEVR Studios will create a pop-up structure with projection-based displays which play on the concept of a 'greenhouse.' The installation questions the concept of our 'home' by contrasting an abstracted house structure with walkthrough animations of the forest. Projections of leaves and foliage will fill the structure, creating an immersive forest walkthrough experience for the viewer. The projections highlight the variation and beauty of foliage and leaves alongside the feeling of being immersed in shades of green. Animations will focus on whole environment builds to stimulate walking through a forest at human and smaller scale. 

Julia Gartell: Dynamic Light Quilt

Suspended Light Sculpture

Location: TBD

Tapping into her fascination of quilts, artist Julia Gartell will create a wall-bound installation that celebrates the dynamic history and visual complexity of the quilt. Using a specific grid pattern of 32 individual triangles and 32 smart bulbs that can each display millions of colors, the number of combinations created approximates infinity.  Smart bulbs will be used to program illumination of different quilt patterns which will be on continuous rotation. This piece will be both static and active— each quilt square will stay illuminated for a period of time before morphing into the next pattern. Individual patterns as well as changing colors, styles, and forms of the images will capture the viewer's attention. Color will be used to emphasize each design and make it come to life.

Bec Conrad: Bird Haus

Light Projection Sculpture 

Location: Front Lawn of Cary Arts Center

How often do we get stuck in the routine of our daily lives? How often do we get absorbed by our obsessive thoughts, sucked into our worries and derailed by distractions? What if you could travel to a distant place without going anywhere? A place without cars or smart phones, a place among the birds.

Bird Haus will be a life size bird house for people. Instead of providing food for birds, Bird Haus will provide an immersive space for people to escape daily life and drift off into the world of birds. Standing about 10 feet tall, 6.5 feet wide and 8.5 feet long, Bird Haus will be a tiny cabin constructed of rough cut wood and covered in exterior wooden shingles. Inside the cabin will be a swinging wooden bench, projector, and surround speakers where viewers can listen and be absorbed in nature.

Robin Vuchnich & Xo Immersive: Projections

Light Projections

Location: Downtown Park on Amphitheater Wall

The installation will feature light art created by New Media Artist, Robin Vuchnich. The artwork for the architectural projection will be carefully animated to draw inspiration from — and seamlessly integrate with — the unique features of the projection target. By combining imaginative visual storytelling elements with modern digital technology, the aim is to evoke emotions and immerse the audience in a captivating and unexpected visual journey. The artwork will loop continuously. Advanced projection mapping techniques will create an immersive and dynamic experience that captures the imaginations of spectators and puts a literal spotlight on the cultural treasure of the downtown district.

Max Dowdle: Glowfort II

Light Sculpture

Location: Post Office Plaza

Glowfort II is a breathtaking installation that will undoubtedly delight and amaze visitors in Cary. The installation is designed to be viewed up close, allowing visitors to fully immerse themselves in its vibrant colors and intricate details. Interactive features are sure to captivate visitors, as they can explore the fort and experience the changing light patterns while moving throughout the space. The piece is built to withstand extensive interaction, ensuring its durability. The robust design means that the more interactive the installation, the more durable it becomes, ensuring that it will continually enchant its visitors.

MJ Sharp: Neolithic Night

Photograph Projection on Screen

Location: Town Hall Front Lawn

A vanishingly small percentage of our evolutionary time as human beings has been spent in artificial light. For a large percentage of the world’s population, the experience of night is quickly becoming a boutique and privileged one. When we are robbed of night—from seeing the night sky that fueled the world’s mythologies to experiencing our own creaturely human adaptation to darkness — what are we missing?

MJ Sharp's photographs taken of prehistoric ruins in the UK during her time as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Exeter will be projected as a large scale immersive display on the front lawn of Town Hall. Recent archaeological evidence suggests that prehistoric people were visiting these sites in low light or at night. This display will invite present-day people to meditate on our current experiences of night. The projection will begin at dusk and run until 10pm. 

^{Installation shot from Click! Photography Festival at the Fruit in Durham, NC. October 2023}

To learn more about past GLOW exhibits, visit our

GLOW Archives

 In the news, WRAL - Whimsy & Wonder. Jan 16, 2024

Interested in participating in future GLOW? Contact denise.dickens@carync.gov

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