They glimmered over the water at night: 255,000 LEDs spread 1.8 miles. Bay Bridge Starting at San From San Francisco to Oakland. But this week, after a decade aglow on the city’s horizon, the lights — battered by the Bay Area’s harsh elements — were switched off, at least for now.
This artwork is known as Bay LightsAs an ornament to the span, often eclipsed by nearby Golden Gates, a, was placed in March 2013. Bridge.
According to the creators, this installation wasn’t meant to be so long. Eventually, they said, the lights began to succumb to the bay’s notorious wind, salt and rain. According to them, the challenge was also presented by the contraction and expansion of the cables at the bridge. There are sections had already gone entirely dark.
“The current set of LEDs that are up there are failing at a rate faster than we could keep up with them,” Ben Davis, founder of Illuminate and the responsible arts non-profit, spoke by telephone on Monday. “Rather than let it decay into oblivion, which is not a good look for San Francisco, we’re doing the responsible thing, taking it down.”
At 8:20 p.m., Davis turned the lights out. “There was a collective groan across the city,” He stated. “You could hear it from the waterfront.”
However, the bridge will not stay dark forever. His organization is seeking to raise $11million to renovate and increase the number of LEDs. The display, when completed, will be visible to those who cross the bridge as well as from further away. The group has already received more than $6million in pledges.
He said that the restoration, which is expected to last eight to ten months, will begin when $10 million is committed. He said that crowdfunding will help raise the $1 million remaining.
Though some have expressed concern about the light sculpture’s environmental impact, Mr. Davis said it had undergone rigorous analysis to ensure the new version would be safe for wildlife as well as for the people using it. “The power usage on these LEDs,” He concluded, “is very, very slim.”
Leo Villareal is the architect who created the Bay LightsAccording to him, he believed that enough money would be raised by the nonprofit organization in order to reinstate the light sculpture. He said the inspiration for the design came from the fog and water patterns surrounding the bridge.
Villareal stated that it was darkening on Sunday as he watched. “bittersweet.”
“There’s a certain sadness to not have that be part of the landscape,” He stated. “It’s really become part of the fabric of San Francisco.”
