The Bay Lights
The Bay Lights were a
Initially intended as a temporary installation, which ended on March 5, 2015, the project was re-installed as a longstanding feature of the Bay Bridge with permanent fixtures that were re-lit on January 30, 2016. After an extended run, the lights were turned off on March 5, 2023. An $11M fundraising effort is underway to return the lights in March 2025.
Origin
The Bay Lights was conceived in September 2010 by Ben Davis of Words Pictures Ideas, a public relations company that has a contract with the
Both Davis and Villareal suggest The Bay Lights was influenced by their experiences at the annual
Operations
The sculpture was visible mostly from the north side of the bridge and was most easily seen from the San Francisco waterfront. The lights were positioned to be invisible to bridge motorists, to prevent driver distractions.[4] The installation operated from dusk until dawn daily.[5]
Installation
The 25,000 white
The lights needed 100,000 feet (30,000 m) of special cabling to power the installation, as well as for networking and communications with the control computer. The lights were spaced every 12 inches (30 cm) and were attached to the bridge with 60,000 zip ties.[3] Each LED bulb could be adjusted for 255 different levels of brightness and the entire installation was controlled remotely by a computer program operated by Villareal.[1] The LED lights complement the permanent string of lights that has been attached to the suspension cables since the 50th anniversary of the bridge in 1986.[1]
The original, temporary installation, which formally opened on March 5, 2013,[9] was taken down in March 2015 when its permits expired so that Caltrans could repaint and perform maintenance on the cables.[10] Installation of more robust, permanent lights began in October 2015, and a re-lighting ceremony was held on January 30, 2016,[11][12][13] after which the lights were gifted to the state of California.[14] The new lights were brighter and better able to weather the elements and angled such that they are visible from south of the bridge as well.[15] By 2023, the work had dark patches where bulbs needed replacement with the LEDs failing faster than they could be repaired.[16] The lights were turned off on March 5, 2023 – a victim of the harsh conditions on the bridge and on San Francisco Bay. As of 2023[update], an $11M fundraising effort is underway to return the lights.[17] The new version, known as Bay Lights 360, is set to be illuminated in March 2025.[18]
Cost
The initial project cost $8 million, which was raised through private donations and contributions.
The Bay Lights is estimated to use approximately $30 per day in electricity,[21] or about $11,000 annually. During the temporary installation period, these costs were covered by a private solar investment company in the form of solar credits.[22]
In July 2014, Illuminate the Arts announced it was partnering with Tilt.com to sponsor a $1.2 million crowdfunding campaign to keep The Bay Lights lit until 2026.[23] When the crowdfunding campaign raised less than expected, organizers focused on larger donors and ultimately raised the $4 million necessary to install long-term fixtures.[24] The Bay Area Toll Authority, which oversees the bridge, agreed in 2014 to allocate up to $250,000 per year from toll revenues for maintenance and electricity.[12]
Critical reception
Since its inauguration, The Bay Lights has received widespread public support and positive reaction, as well as political support from state and local politicians, including
Hemispheres named The Bay Lights the top attraction in its 2013 "Out with the Old, In with the New" Top-25 feature.[25]
On March 8, 2014, the documentary Impossible Light world premiered at the
Notes
- ^ a b c d e Whiting, Sam (September 18, 2012). "Bay Bridge to beam vivid light sculpture". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
- ^ McMenamin, Dan (September 18, 2012). "Art project to illuminate Bay Bridge". Bay City News via San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f Fischer, Adam (November 29, 2012). "Bright Idea". The New York Times. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
- Contra Costa Times. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
- ^ "The Bay Lights LED Sculpture To Extend Hours In November". Bay City News Service. KPIX-TV. October 16, 2013.
- ^ Musiker, Cy (July 12, 2012). "Bay Bridge Lightshow on Schedule For March Debut". KQED. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
- Fast Company. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
- ^ a b c Sharpe, Katherine (May 29, 2012). "Everything Will Be Illuminated: Artist to Cover Bay Bridge in Programmable LEDs". Wired. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
- ^ "'The Bay Lights' Officially Unveiled On Bay Bridge". KPIX-TV. March 6, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
- ^ Rosato Jr., Joe (March 4, 2015). "Bay Lights Go Dark for Caltrans Maintenance on Bay Bridge". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
- ^ Zimmerman, Douglas (October 9, 2015). "Bay Lights set to shine once again". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
- ^ a b Egelko, Bob (December 17, 2014). "Bay Bridge light show will go on". SF Gate. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
- ^ Cuff, Denis (January 28, 2016). "Bay Bridge light sculpture turns back on Saturday night". Bay Area News Group. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
- ^ Johnson, Todd (January 29, 2016). "Bay Lights art installation to shine again for Super Bowl 50 festivities". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
- ^ Musiker, Cy (January 29, 2016). "The Bay Bridge Lights Return for an Unlimited Engagement". KQED. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
- ^ Hernandez, Salvador (January 10, 2023). "The famous Bay Bridge lights may soon go dark, unless a bunch of millionaires step in". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ "San Francisco Bay Bridge Light Show Could Return by Fall 2024". The San Francisco Standard. December 28, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- ^ Cabanatuan, Michael (June 14, 2013). "Fixes, funding brighten 'Bay Lights' day".
- ^ "The Bay Lights Press Facts Sheet" (PDF). Retrieved June 8, 2013.
- San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
- ^ Tarantola, Andrew (December 13, 2011). "Art Backers Want to Light Up The Bay Bridge". Gizmodo. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
- ^ Kung, Michelle. "Let There Be Light: 40 Days to Save the Bay Lights". Tilt Blog. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- ^ King, John (October 23, 2014). "$4 million needed to save 'Bay Lights' on Bay Bridge". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
- ^ "Out With the Old". Hemispheres. United Airlines. January 1, 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
- ^ Winkler, Jeff (March 12, 2014). "SXSW Film Review: 'Impossible Light' –". Austin Chronicle.
- ^ "Looking Ahead to SFIFF59". San Francisco Film Society.
- ^ "Newport Beach Film Festival 2014 : Impossible Light". newportbeach2014.festivalgenius.com. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
Further reading
- "Team". The Bay Lights.
- "Credits". Impossible Light.
- "First Drafts: The Bay Lights". The Atlantic.
- "Amazon.com: Impossible Light: Ben Davis, Amy Critchett, Dorka Keehn, JoAnne Northrup, Jason Cipriani Leo Villareal, Jeremy Ambers, Regan Souders, Kevin T. Doyle, Kathi Wheater: Movies & TV". Amazon.
- Ben Davis (May 27, 2013). "Exclusive Backstory Behind The Bay Lights: It's More About the Art Than the Tech". WIRED.
- "Architectural Lighting Design - San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, San Francisco, California, USA".
- "Urban Omnibus » Sequence of Light: A Conversation with Leo Villareal". Urban Omnibus. October 24, 2012.
- Daniel Terdiman (February 13, 2013). "Behind the scenes with the world's largest LED art project". CNET. CBS Interactive.
- "Leo Villareal's 'Cosmos' to glow at Johnson Museum - Cornell Chronicle".