SOUNDSHAPES: Connect the Dots

is an interactive site-specific sculpture that highlights the currency of creativity and fosters friendship and collaboration in the innovative KC community. The sculpture is temporarily located on the West side Streetcar Shelter located at 14th and Main Street in the Power & Light District in Downtown, Kansas City. The visuals verbalize that people from all different walks of life are better when we connect and work together. During daytime, the sculptural elements allow viewers to imagine a sort of topography of vibrant community. At night, viewers will activate LED lights in colored PVC tube sections of the sculpture by touching the metal disks between them while waiting for the Streetcar. The series of colored tubes represent voices, synapses, chemical and conceptual synergy as well as sculptural elements of conjoined, colored light that change intensity of light. The strong lighting elements in our pieces are the powerful points at which memories are formed, celebrations of past present and future, cultural chandeliers. The sculpture will be in constant flux because of its interactive nature, and will invite foot traffic in the downtown area to connect and engage with its changing outcome. 
 

(A book inspiration for our project – and our other artwork: THE DOT AND THE LINE: A ROMANCE IN LOWER MATHEMATICS written and illustrated by Norton Juster in 1963)

 

Art in the Loop

The mission of the Art in the Loop Foundation (AILF) is to contribute to the visual identity, enrichment, and revitalization of Downtown Kansas City, create new opportunities for artistic development, and expand public interaction with new art of excellence. AILF is 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging artists in the on-going revitalization of Downtown Kansas City.
 

AILF seeks to play a proactive role in bringing further attention to Kansas City as a place where exciting and accomplished contemporary art is not just happening but is, in fact, helping to define the city’s identity.

AILF is a unique partnership of the Downtown Council of Kansas City, the Kansas City Art Institute and the City of Kansas City, Missouri.

The 2016 Art in the Loop Project: Connect infuses the center of Downtown Kansas City with innovative and engaging temporary art that will refresh, intrigue and surprise Downtown employees, residents, and visitors. The project also creates opportunities for local emerging and established artists to extend their practice into the Downtown environment with curatorial, professional and logistical support.

 

Download the 2016 Art on the Line Flyer here. 

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Art in the Loop is partnering with the KC Streetcar Authority to install the following temporary installations and performances at streetcar stops from July through September:

 

 

Artist and Art Installations

• Rachelle Gardner-Roe, I See You (Power & Light District Stop – Northbound)

• Andrew Lattner, Alternating Currents (Metro Center Stop/Petticoat Lane)

• m.o.i., minister of information, rail – bike – rail (Library Stop – Southbound)

• Rickey Moss, Imagine That!, Intersections (Kauffman Center Stop – Southbound)

• Lauren Thompson, Life Turning (Delaware St Bridge)

• White Art Studio, SOUNDSHAPES (Power & Light District Stop – Southbound)

Performances (Fridays, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p. m.)

• Elizabeth Stehling, dance performance, The Inspired Pedestrians, starts at Union Station and ends at Kauffman Stop NB, July 15, 12pm-2pm

• Stacy Busch, composes and presents Soundtrack for the City, location to be announced, August 5

• Amado Espinoza and Karen Lisondra, Streetcar SoundTracks: Recycled World Duo, Metro Center Stop, August 12

• Jon Johnson directs improvisational theatrical performance, Connections, starts at Union Station, August 19

• Mnemosyne Quartet produces Transient Harmony, a music and sound performance at the Power & Light District and Library Stops, September 2

• Beau Bledsoe and Ensemble Iberica perform Cubanisms, River Market West Stop, September 9

 

To learn more about each of these artists, visit the Art in the Loop website here.

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