By Keith Burbank. Bay City News.
A canvas of light descends Sunday after illuminating the western span of the Bay Bridge for 10 years. But with enough donors, it will return “in a more glorious manifestation,” founder Ben Davis said Friday.
The Bay Lights have been shining brightly in the Bay Area for many to see despite exposure to sand, dirt and vibration 24/7 for the past decade.
Now is the time to decommission them as they are failing faster than they can be cost-effectively repaired.
“I’m sure they’ll be back,” Davis said in a telephone interview, explaining what residents might see when they do.
Davis wants more people in the Bay Area to be able to see the lights and wants drivers to travel through a “public art portal at night.”
Currently, drivers on the bridge cannot see The Bay Lights except in their rearview mirrors. The proposed project will produce a gently undulating pattern of low-voltage, monochromatic light up to 230 feet high for 1.8 miles.
The lights will wrap around the cables on the north side of the west span in the recreation. Currently, the lights are on only one side of the cables.
“There’s a sense of mystery and magic to the piece,” said Leo Villareal, the artist who worked with Davis to create the light installation.
People see the lights and can't help but say something to the person walking next to them. It brings people together, Villareal said. It's not about language or images, but something deeper, he said.
The light patterns produced by The Bay Lights are never repeated. The original installation took two and a half years from initial conception to completion, Villareal said.
The challenge, which Davis and others are working on, is making sure the new installation doesn't distract drivers. He's working with traffic engineers and the California Highway Patrol to ensure driver safety.
In the past 10 years, the installation of lights has not caused a single traffic problem, Davis said, and that's the equivalent of traveling on the bridge to the sun and back 40 times.
“It immediately became an iconic image for the Embarcadero, drawing visitors to the city,” said Jill Manton, director of public art trust and special initiatives for the San Francisco Arts Commission.
Manton helped win commission approval and helped draft the resolution supporting the commission.
After it goes dark, reinstallation could take eight to 10 months following an ongoing fundraising campaign. Davis is trying to raise $11 million to fund the project over the next 10 years.
It's looking for 10 donors who can give $1 million each along with $1 million in crowdfunding donations. Details of the efforts so far will be revealed Sunday at 7:45 p.m. at Epic Steak, which is at 369 The Embarcadero and overlooks The Bay Lights.
The new creation will have double the current number of lights, or 50 thousand LEDs. Gifts for the new installation can be made at http://www.thebaylights360.org/More than $5,200 had been raised as of Friday afternoon.
“The Bay Lights have become one of San Francisco’s iconic landmarks, and we hope the fundraising campaign to save this important light art installation is successful so they can come back even bigger and better than before,” said Joe D’Alessandro, president and CEO of the San Francisco Travel Association, the city’s official destination marketing organization.
“We encourage businesses and residents of San Francisco to support efforts to keep The Bay Lights illuminating our beautiful city for years to come,” D'Alessandro said.
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