‘We will energize downtown’: Light-and-sound based outdoor exhibit coming to Aurora
Aurora will host a monthlong art installation befitting its City of Lights nickname.
“Lumenaura,” a light-and-sound-based outdoor exhibit, will take place in the city’s downtown from Oct. 4 to Nov. 1 and include interactive street art, live entertainment, futuristic projection mapping and more.
“We look forward to lighting up downtown Aurora and bringing visitors from near and far to witness the magic,” Aurora Mayor Richard C. Irvin said in a news release. “As this fantastic public art initiative brightens up our community, we will energize downtown, spotlight local businesses, and watch Aurora shine brighter than ever.”
The free, monthlong event will feature a three-day weekend celebration from Oct. 11-13. “Lumenaura” Fest Weekend will include a state-of-the-art drone show, live entertainment, roving performers, live street art, food trucks, a beer garden, and workshops.
Jenn Byrne, the city’s director of Aurora public art, said in the release that the inspiration for the event came from a 2022 national conference on public art, technology, and economic development.
“There, I had an opportunity to learn about the production logistics and broader economic impact of a public art light festival,” Byrne said. “With our historic downtown on the river, an expanding arts scene, and our history as the ‘City of Lights,’ it was too good not to pursue.”
Similar festivals have been held in Cincinnati, Baltimore and Scottsdale in the United States, as well as internationally in France, Germany and Australia.
Among the installations are “The Sonic Runway,” a light-art installation that transforms audio signals into patterns of light, shooting down a 400-foot corridor of 23 LED-lined arches at the speed of sound, and “The Pool,” an interactive field of concentric circles that create a light landscape for visitors to run, walk, dance, jump, and play across, generating an infinite amount of changes to the works’ colors and reflections.
A variety of free and interactive family-friendly activities will take place near the Sonic Runway throughout the month, including photo opportunities and meet and greets with movie characters, DJs for hip-hop and Taylor Swift Dance Party Nights, a public safety light show with the Aurora Police Department, Aurora Fire Department, and Aurora Emergency Management Agency, a petting zoo with the Phillips Park Zoo, line dancing sessions with Saddle Up Aurora and more.