Inspired by nighttime arts festivals from around the world, DLECTRICITY, Detroit’s new nighttime, contemporary light art festival, will host 35 local, national and international artists whose cutting edge works of art, lighting design and performance will illuminate the historic architecture of Midtown. For two electrifying evenings, Midtown Detroit will be enveloped in a sea of light as a number of artists converge on Detroit to “light up” buildings and city spaces in Midtown using various mediums that meld sci-fi technology with Victorian spectacle on a grand scale.

DLECTRICITY aspires to engage a broad and diverse audience, create a sense of community and be a place for stimulation and discussion about the impact of art on public spaces.  The city landscape will be transformed into temporary exhibitions, inviting the public to rediscover these spaces and see them in a new light.

The name for the event was inspired by Detroit’s very own Electric Park which was located on the site of what is now Gabriel Richard Park.  From 1906 until 1928, Detroit Electric Park served as a major attraction, beginning as a trolley park and later expanding into an amusement park with the development of electrification.

The DLECTRICITY Curatorial Committee is led by Marsha Miro of MOCAD, and also consists of Marc Schwartz, acting chairman of Art Detroit Now, Larry Baranski of the Detroit Institute of Arts, Michelle Perron of the College for Creative Studies, and George N’Namdi of the N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Art. The Curatorial Committee was charged with responsibility of selecting artists to create projects that will be strategically placed in high impact areas by the hub institutions in Midtown including:  the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Max M. Fisher Music Center, Wayne State University, College for Creative Studies, MOCAD and the C.H. Wright Museum of African American History.

The DLECTRICITY Curatorial Committee received more than 200 submissions from emerging and established artists, lighting designers, and architects through an open call for entry process. From that, the committee selected 25 projects and performances based on a number of criteria, including artistic merit and how well the project uses various media like light, video projection, interactivity, 3D video mapping, and other creative technologies, as well as how the projects exist within an urban environment. In addition, curatorial committee members invited 10 local and international artists specializing in light and technology projects to bring their expertise to Detroit’s first “Nuit Blanche” event.

DLECTRICITY will be held Friday, October 5, from 7 pm – 12 am and Saturday, October 6, from 7 pm – 2 am.