More than 30 art installations will light up the Fenway area Oct. 10, transforming Lansdowne Street into Illuminus — a free, contemporary art nighttime festival returning to Boston for its second year.
Illuminus is a locally-organized event, inspired by the “nuit blanche” tradition, an all-night arts festival that started in Paris 10 years ago.
“Illuminus takes place this year the same night as similarly launched festivals taking place in Paris and Toronto,” said Ethan Vogt, the festival’s director of programming. “So it’s something that is in many cities around the world, and this is Boston’s contribution.”
Thirty projects will be presented by local artists, which aim to combine light, sound and spectacle to create a sensory experience. One project will use algorithms to create glowing patterns on the floor, while others will combine graffiti and light projections or send animatronic sculpture representations of endangered white rhinos into the air.
Another featured project called “Waking the Monster,” the brainchild of artists Maria Finkelmeier and Ryan Edwards, will transform the iconic Green Monster, the 37-foot metal scoreboard at Fenway Park, into a percussion instrument, presenting it in a new light.
Nine percussionists will be strapped into the structure and will climb as high as three stories high, all while performing pieces composed by New England-based composers.
Finkelmeier hopes to make the giant metal structure come to life, with each percussionist periodically striking the Green Monster’s beams and pillars. Light projections will be shone onto the musicians’ bodies on the structure as well, creating an intense visual component for the nightly two-hour performance.
“The Illuminus festival is all about lighting up the night, so you can sit and watch the different graphics and animation happen while we’re playing,” Finkelmeier said. “You’ll be able to come down the street and see things, hear things, feel things vibrating — there will be a lot of energy. [“Waking the Monster”] is something people can watch for one or two minutes, or an hour, and it’ll be a very different experience.”
In 2014, over 10,000 spectators viewed Illuminus, which was then held in the SoWa district of Boston’s South End. This year, the event has moved to Lansdowne Street in Fenway as part of this year’s HUBweek, a weeklong celebration of art, science, technology and innovation all throughout the city. The Boston Globe, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are all founders of the celebration.
“The goal of Illuminus is to make Boston a leading destination for new forms of public art and expression, and demonstrate the level of talent that the city has,” Vogt said.
Vogt said that he hopes that more people will come to think of the city as a vibrant hub for new ideas, despite the perception that Boston is a college town where students come to study and then leave after they graduate.
“I think more and more, there is a creative class and an entrepreneurial class that is choosing to live and work in Boston,” Vogt said, “and it’s becoming a real hot place for innovation and a lot of creative industries.”
Due to the close proximity to campus and free admission, some Boston University students are already looking forward to spending their night at the festival.
“I’m going to Illuminus on Saturday night,” said Daniel Gorelick, a senior in the College of Engineering. “I’m into the arts, so any chance I get to see art installations, especially in Boston, I try to take those opportunities to go and see them. I’m looking forward to seeing the ‘Between Doors’ project and experiencing the art the way the artist wants you to. And, I’m excited for all the light effects.”
The festival will have much to offer, whether visitors are interested in light art, science, technology or all of the ways in which they interact.
“This is an event that only takes place one weekend a year, so this is really your one opportunity to see it,” Vogt said. “I’ve been producing light festivals for the past five years, and Illuminus is perhaps the strongest curatorial program that I’ve heard of. It’s really unlike anything else like it, and it’s a great way to see what’s happening in Boston.”
Note: This story has been updated to reflect the postponement of Illuminus, which will now take place on Saturday, Oct. 10 due to weather concerns.
