By Keith Burbank. Bay City News.
A canvas of light descends on Sunday after illuminating the western span of the Bay Bridge for 10 years. But with enough donors, it will return "in a most glorious manifestation," founder Ben Davis said Friday.
The Bay Lights have been shining brightly across the Bay Area for many to see despite 24/7 exposure to sand, dirt and vibration. week for the last decade.
Now is the time to decommission them as they are failing faster than they can be repaired cost effectively.
"I'm sure they will come back," Davis said in a phone 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 ride through a "public art portal at night."
Drivers on the bridge are currently unable to 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 in elevation for 1.8 miles.
The lights will wrap around the cables on the north side of the west span in the reenactment. 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 about 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 facility doesn't distract drivers. It is working with traffic engineers and the California Highway Patrol to ensure the safety of drivers.
In the last 10 years, the installation of lights has not caused a single traffic problem, Davis said, and that involves traveling on the bridge the equivalent of going 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 the San Francisco Arts Commission's public art trust and special initiatives.
Manton helped get the commission approved and helped draft the resolution in support of the commission.
After it shuts down, it could take eight to 10 months to reinstall after an ongoing fundraising campaign. Davis is trying to raise $11 million to finance the project over the next 10 years.
He is looking for 10 donors who can give $1 million each along with $1 million in crowdfunded donations. Details of the efforts so far will be released Sunday at 7:45 p.m. at Epic Steak, which is at 369 The Embarcadero and looks out over The Bay Lights.
The new creation will have twice the current number of lights, or 50,000 LEDs. Gifts for the new facility 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 icons, and we hope the fundraising campaign to save this important art installation of light is successful, so they can come back even bigger and better than ever." before," said Joe D'Alessandro, president and CEO of the San Francisco Travel Association, the city's official destination marketing organization.
"We encourage San Francisco businesses and residents to support efforts to keep The Bay Lights illuminating our beautiful city for years to come," D'Alessandro said.
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