In my humble opinion, the 4th annual Creek Show was the best one so far. Sponsored by the Waller Creek Conservancy, this outdoor art exhibition draws attention to the possibilities of Waller Creek, which runs through the eastern side of downtown from 15th Street to Lady Bird Lake. This always-popular event was open for nine evenings this year. The walkways were crowded when Bill and I visited on the next-to-last evening.
This light installation crossed Waller Creek next to Easy Tiger. Hopefully, I’ve got this right: fōtän FABLE was created by HA Architecture and is based on a short story by Manual Gonzales.
Three companies, Davey McEathron Architecture, Studio Lumina, and Drophouse, collaborated on Submerge, groupings of concentric circles which were reflected in one of the wider sections of the creek.
Two+ Collaborative created Blind Spot, combining mirrored pillars with a movie of a bicyclist riding around Austin projected on a nearby stone wall. I didn’t really understand this one until I read the artist statement: Our intention is that this installation will shed light on aspects of Austin life that are often overlooked and initiate a dialogue about the importance of investing in the urban, people-oriented spaces of Waller Creek.
Ephemeral Suspension was designed by a partnership between Pathos and Touch To. Strings of lights were suspended over the creek in a tunnel. The light sequence reminded me of a thunderstorm, but I don’t know if that was the artists’ intention.
In Night Garden, 80,000 fluorescent survey flags adorned the hillside along the creek. This installation by landscape design firm, dwg., was my favorite in the 2017 show.
No Lifeguard on Duty by Asakura Robinson imaged Waller Creek as a swimming pool, with a depth of 7 inches (except during heavy rains, I assume).
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