Tuesday evening, Mar. 5, as the sun set beyond the horizon, thousands gathered to watch the unveiling of a spectacular work of visual art on the less glamorous of the two major bridges spanning San Francisco Bay.
The work of art by artist Leo Villareal – 25,000 led bulbs lighting the 1.8 mile span of drab metal and concrete of the bay Bridge is called simply “The Bay Lights.” The Mar. 7, Daily Californian reports, “The installation is not a ‘light show’ but a piece of abstract art.”
The $8 million dollar artist’s creation is abstract in the sense that it “contains no images” and the light sequences “contain no loops.”
The visual art piece which will grace the commuter bridge for the next two years operates on a computer algorithm which adjusts to “cues from the environment – waves and traffic – “not once repeating the same sequences.”
There were mixed reactions among the thousands who stood in the rain to watch the “flip of the switch” that illuminated the West side of the bridge; some negative buzz developed from this who were expecting more glitz, glamour, and showiness – like a Hollywood premiere.
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