'Mermaid' Light & Music Show Swims to Adams' River Chute
 'Mermaid Beatrice' is expected to appear in the Hoosic River in Adams should weather and water cooperate. |
ADAMS, Mass. — The "Mermaid Beatrice" light show will appear in the Hoosic River this weekend in hopes of sparking new interest in the river.
Ralph Brill of the Brill Gallery in North Adams said Beatrice will make her appearance sometime after 8:15 Saturday night near the 5 Hoosac St. Gallery in the flood-control chute.
"We are going to be doing some lights and sound. There are going to be sensors in the water making music…so it's a changing kind of thing that will morph into Mermaid Beatrice showing up with her friends," Brill said.
Brill said the show, which has been exhibited in North Adams, excites people and makes them look at the river differently.
"Kids are kind of mesmerized by the unicorns and mermaids so they still talk about it in North Adams," Brill said. "The next day they look at the river differently; they walk across the street with their dogs or baby carriages and look at it a little bit differently."
Brill said he hopes the exhibit will "refocus" the river and help people remember the importance of it.
"The reason why all of these mills existed is because of the river. That is where the connection is so we are telling that part of the story," he said. "The idea was to use art … to tell the story about a river and get people to refocus on it and I think we have done a pretty successfully."
The exhibit was created by a collective of electronic artists from all around the world. Rikayo Horimizu and Inhye Lee, both of whom participated in the last river/light exhibit, Ganesh Ramanathan, Rieko Fujinami, Brian Cook and Matthew Carey designed the exhibit.
Brill said in order for the show to work, the water must be mostly moving straight. He said the flood chutes are designed to pitch the water and move it around so it loses intensity and destructive power.
The exhibit provides a commentary on environmental preservation. Brill sees this message strongly connected to the revitalization of Adams because the river is so important to the town.
"We are hoping it will generate some interest down there and generate some local pride because Adams is getting beaten up a lot and left out of the cultural action that is taking place in Pittsfield and in North Adams," Brill said.
Brill said he would like to see more interest in the river in Adams. He said he would like to see Adams mirror the River Revival Group in North Adams that received an $8.8 million grant to revitalize a section of the Hoosic River and make it a useable attraction.
"Once there is public interest and awareness, then people can begin to engineer with new ideas," he said. "The river potentially has a huge importance of keeping people here and not hopping back in their car and going back to Lenox."
Brill said the event will take place after Bike Night. He said because of the electronics needed for the exhibit, if there is rain, the show will be canceled. The weather looks to be cooperating with a forecast of sunny skies and temperatures in high 70s.
"Instead of giving a lecture or showing drawing we are using animation, art, electronics, and magic tricks to get people to look at the river a little differently," Brill said. "It is pretty amazing."
Tags: art installation, Hoosic River, light show,
