An organization in Toronto called New Mind Space hosts some very innovative public events I've been following online, and this week got to join in on - in this case, something called Night Lights. The point of the event was to bring lots of people together to increase awareness of light pollution... the light humans create that blocks the light the Creator creates. In NEO, you can look at the issue as the glare off Jacobs Field when they burn the lights even when there isn't a game, or the wasted electricity to do that (BTW, think of all the sick KWHs and coal/oil wasted and pollution created as you celebrate Christmas lights this season). - in every case... duh. I've never heard this subject raised in NEO at all, anywhere, but I've always been very disturbed to come into the city from the East and see the sky turn from black, with stars, to grey/blue/red with smoke and light pollution. Try it some time - drive from Chagrin Falls into downtown on a clear night and watch the sky turn to crap. Consider that, and then realize last week I was in one of the highrises downtown (where the Cleveland Foundation is housed, as a matter of fact) and in the elevator was a notice for tenants to "leave your lights on" that night because ESPN was in town covering the Cav's game and the city wants the world to think someone is home, downtown. So, in these times of a war in Iraq over fuel and high fuel costs and global warming some powers that be want everyone in downtown NEO to leave the lights on all night. How stupid are we? There are less stupid people in Toronto, and they do things like Night Lights, and twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder why environmentalism leaders in NEO don't think to do the same smart things...

Due to light pollution, some of our night lights have disappeared! To bring back the sky's twinkle, we have decided to make some stars of our own. Join us for an evening of starcraft, constellation installation and a tower of light visible from across the city.

* * * The Installations * * *

Stars * Hundreds of LED's will be suspended from helium balloons to create an artificial starscape, creating our own constellations and a twinkling Milky Way that should be visible for miles.

String of Diamonds * Long strings of LED's will be suspended from a weather balloon. As the wind and participants move the cord, the string will appear to glitter.

Faeries * Much like the shoes hanging from our telephone wires, pairs of LED's will be strung together and hung from trees in Queen's Park like couples of faeries.

(fly)light by Pearl Chen * An animated sphere of 500 green LED's.

* * * Participation * * *

As we light up the sky, we encourage you to brighten the ground: please bring glowy things such as glowsticks, LED toys, EL wire, lightsabers, art bikes, lasers, personal lights, etc. Also, somebody please bring a video cam!

If you would like to create an installation involving light, let us know! Simply reply to this e-mail and we will figure out where your art fits in. If you need power, we've got it!

The word on a possible soundsystem and/or afterparty is forthcoming ;-) If you can hook these up, let us know.

* * * Love * * *