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Hoosic River Light Show Looking for Helping HandsBy Tammy Daniels - April 21, 2008
iBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS — A crew of international artists and engineering students will be in the city this week to install what will hopefully be the first of many annual light shows on the Hoosic River.
But the ambitious project could use a few more hands, said organizer Ralph Brill.
"We really could use some volunteers, especially contractors and electricians," said Brill on Tuesday. "We need tools, ladders, muscle."
The Hoosic River Lights Project is the brainchild of Brill, an architect and entrepreneur who now keeps a loft and gallery in the Eclipse Mill. The one-of-a-kind free festival is set for Saturday, April 26, along sections of the concrete flood chute near the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art and east toward Holden Street.
"We're calling it a prototype and seeing if the city likes it," said Brill. "Light art is meant to be much more democratic — like fireworks. It's something everyone can enjoy."
He's hoping the community will respond both in enthusiasm for the festival's continuance and in its involvement in the installation and break down of the exhibits.
It's a chance for local folk to become part of the artistic process.
The biggest work is 100 feet long, using mesh that will cross the concrete banks that contain the river. Designed by a group of graduate students at the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer (N.Y.) Polytechnic Institute, the elements of the work will be constructed near Northern Berkshire District Court beginning Wednesday morning.
Five ivory-covered billowing "bridges" will arc across the spillway between the Holden Street bridge and District Court. Students Keng Chen, Oindrila Hazra, Justin Hoin, Tracy Meyer, Nancy Qi, Leora Radestsky, Anurag Saxena, Aaron Smith and Lisa Yue are being lead by professors Russell Leslie and Patricia Rizzo. McCann Technical School students fabricated some of the parts involved.
Anyone who would like to lend a hand stringing the mesh work together is welcome to stop by for an hour or two, or all day if they like. "If they want to stand around and drink coffee, that's fine, too," said Brill.
The piece will be put together during the day and possibly into Thursday. Then installation will begin across the river. On Friday and Saturday, more artists will be arriving to string their projects and will likely need help as well.
The Hoosic River Watershed Association will be sprucing up the area between Holden and Brown streets and could also use volunteers.
The project is supported in part by the city of North Adams, through the Mayor's Office of Tourism, and Porches Inn.
While people with specific skills and equipment are needed, including retired workers with mechanical skills, Brill said anyone is welcome, since all the needs at this point aren't really clear.
In addition to the RPI installation, works will include a display by Los Angeles artists Sarah Michael spanning the river between Mass MoCA and Porches with a sound installation by Bennington (Vt.) College student Jazmine Raymond; a display in the water near the Marshall Street bridge by New York City artists Emily Conrad and Jeffrey Galusha, Tokyo's Rikayo Horimizu and Inhye Lee will feature LED technology that will allow passers-by to send wishes into the river east of Holden Street and Brill will install a light-colored net in a recreational motif on the east end of the works.
Holden Street, between River Street and St. Anthony Drive, will be closed to vehicle traffic on Saturday from approximately 6:30 to 11 p.m. Parking will be available in the St. Anthony municipal parking lot as well as at other areas around the city.
The three-block show along River Street is meant to encourage pedestrians to walk along the river and enjoy the sights and the water. (A rain date is scheduled for Sunday, April 27.)
There will also be groups with display tables, food vendors and a possibly music in the Holden Street parking lot nearby. Visitors with questions about the art will be able to find the artists and event managers by the glowing lapel pins they'll be wearing.
The project has the strong support of Mayor John Barrett III, who sees it as yet another opportunity to bring people into the city. The hope is that it will become a tradition in the mold of the Mayor's Downtown Celebration and Eagle Street Beach Party but at the same time engage a broader audience from outside the North Berkshire area.
But that's in the future; right now, the priority is getting the first light show up and running. Brill sees the amount of community involvement as a measure of the project's success.
"Anybody who wants to be part of this is welcome," said Brill. "We'll find something for them to do."
To volunteer or for information, contact Brill at 800-294-2811 or 845-661-3593 or e-mail at info@brillgallery109.com. Contact the Mayor's Office of Tourism at 413-664-6180 or tourism@northadams-ma.gov.
Or just stop by the River Street area if you see a group at work.
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