Down By the River

On Thursday evening in Austin, Texas, a trail of art installations illuminated the banks and bridges of the city’s historic Waller Creek. The first effort by the creek’s conservancy to draw attention to its forthcoming renovation, the Creek Show Light Night leveraged the work of local architects and artists in an effort to highlight the purpose the future park will serve. “We want to inspire and delight the public and bring a greater awareness to what’s in store for the creek,” says Ingrid Spencer, the evening’s director. For this particular project, Spencer and her colleagues enlisted the help of several architecture firms in the area to create a network of five temporary light-based works that would draw attention to the richness of the already existing landscape. Open to the public through Saturday, the event gave residents the opportunity to walk along the banks of the creek while looking at unique works by local firms like Jason Sowell, LeggeLewisLegge, and Baldridge Architects. “We picked these architects because we respected their work and because they love Austin,” says Spencer. “We knew they would be committed to making it happen.” With live music and food fueling the fire, the lights stayed on long into the night.