Press release courtesy of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nancy Brennan
nancybrennan@rosekennedygreenway.org
617-292-0020
Bright Lights for Winter Nights on the Rose F. Kennedy Greenway
Creative lighting elements and art in Boston’s vibrant downtown park
Boston, Mass.; January 29, 2010 – The Rose F. Kennedy Greenway Conservancy invites all to view “Bright Lights for Winter Nights” on the Greenway every evening through the spring equinox, March 20, 2010. “Bright Lights for Winter Nights” includes five new lighting elements and sculptures that highlight the Greenway’s four distinctive park designs. The last element of the series will be turned on Thursday, February 11, 5-6pm at a free, public celebration in the North End Parks.
“Bright Lights on Winter Nights” reminds Bostonians that the Greenway is a park for all the seasons, and is another reason to bundle up and enjoy winter in Boston. Also, all lighting displays incorporate low-voltage, energy-efficient technologies in support of the Conservancy’s sustainable management practices.
The elements include, from north to south:
White LED string lights adorn the branches of the Great Elm in the northern most part of the North End Parks. This elm, the largest tree on the entire Greenway and our State Tree, symbolizes our national independence and days past when these tall trees lined town greens. The Great Elm on the Greenway stands today in a contemporary town green, and symbolically connects Boston’s past and present. The tree will be lit for the first time at a community celebration on Thursday, February 11 from 5-6 pm. Participating neighborhoods and organizations include New England Performing Arts Center, Boston City Councilor Sal LaMattina, and local restaurants. Free and open to the public.
George Sherwood’s graceful temporary kinetic sculpture Botanica, installed July 2009, is now illuminated in the Wharf District Parks thanks to a generous anonymous donor. The choreography of “Botanica” is governed by a set of basic movements, facilitated by an arrangement of rotating joints and aerodynamic surfaces. Wind and light provide unpredictable elements of improvisation.
Also in the Wharf District Parks, the iconic Light Blades display a newly choreographed rhythm of color and pattern, changing each week. Two special programs will be created to feature the favorite colors of Massachusetts residents chosen at random in a free Conservancy raffle.
Brookine, MA native Bill Bell’s “Light Sticks, White”, greets South Station commuters on Dewey Square Plaza with subtle scrolling images. The display presents an intriguing scene which can be read either as a fixed array of pulsating light or as a solid image traveling across the array, allowing viewers to fill in their own meaning. This unanticipated and visually arresting duality is achieved by the synchronized switching of 1300 LED lights.
Colorful LED string lights adorn the plaza poles in Chinatown Park. Chinatown Main Streets, a community- based, public-private initiative for the Chinatown business district, graciously loaned the Conservancy the lights for this display and assisted in its design.
“The Conservancy is thrilled with the collaborative community effort that went into creating a high impact/ low-cost – and energy-efficient – show of light and color for all to enjoy. The Greenway is a four-season park, and “Bright Lights for Winter Nights” gives people another reason to enjoy the Greenway. We invite residents and tourists alike to fight off the cold and dark by taking a brisk walk down the Greenway this winter and see all it has to offer,” said Nancy Brennan executive director.
For more information about “Bright Lights for Winter Nights”, visit http://www.rosekennedygreenway.org/art or call 617.292.0020. The Greenway parks are fully accessible to people with disabilities. The Rose F. Kennedy Greenway is accessible through the following MBTA Stations: South Station (Red, Silver and Commuter Rail Lines), Aquarium (Blue), Haymarket (Green and Orange), and North Station (Green, Orange and Commuter Rail Lines).
About the Rose Fitzgerald Greenway Conservancy
The Rose Kennedy Greenway, a vibrant, mile-long ribbon of open space, was created when Boston’s elevated six lane highway was demolished and the Central Artery Project completed. Now, four of Boston’s most diverse and dynamic neighborhoods – formerly divided by a massive structure of steel and asphalt – are linked by beautifully landscaped parks, gardens, and plazas and reconnected with the harbor.
The heart of the Conservancy’s mission is for the Greenway to be a vibrant urban park system that is inviting, engaging, beautiful, memorable, and contributes to our sense of shared community life.
Established in 2004, the Rose Fitzgerald Greenway Conservancy is a private, non-profit organization created “to operate, manage, program and improve the Greenway on behalf of the public.
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