They’re impossible to miss: 15 glowing seesaws cutting through Charlotte’s Levine Avenue of the Arts. They’re impossible to miss particularly when people sit on them and move, activating brighter LED lighting and a randomized sequence of sounds.
This is Impulse, a light and sound experience that is part of the Charlotte SHOUT! Festival in uptown Charlotte. SHOUT!, produced by Charlotte Center City Partners (CCCP), is the culmination of CLT250, the year-long celebration of Charlotte’s 250th anniversary. With more than 75 shows and installations, the festival celebrates music, art, food and ideas in uptown through May 11.
SHOUT! is anchored by local talent, and elevated by artists and installations from around the globe.
Duke Energy is sponsoring Impulse and two other installations. “It will allow people to interact with energy, with light,” said Dominique Johnson, Duke Energy community affairs manager.
Impulse was created by Lateral Office and CS Design in collaboration with EGP Group. It debuted in 2015 as part of the competition for temporary public art installations called Luminotherapie in Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles. Impulse has been hosted in different parts of the world to play on the concepts of variation, serialism and repetition.
A few dozen corporate partners are supporting public activations like Impulse that help bring SHOUT! to life. But really, the city has been coming to life all year through CLT250.
Duke Energy has been working as a CLT250 sponsor through community service projects, serving 250 people at a time. Duke Energy employees planted 250 trees with TreesCharlotte. They arranged 250 care packages through the American Red Cross, and 250 hygiene kits for Urban Ministry Center. They made 250 sandwiches for the Men’s Shelter of Charlotte. At least 10 projects will be completed by the end of the year.
But first: The activation of light during SHOUT!
In addition to Impulse, Duke Energy is sponsoring Prismatica, created by Raw Design in collaboration with ATOMIC3. Prismatica features 25 6-foot-tall prisms that will stretch down Tryon Street and emit colorful reflections. When turned, the prisms release bell music and their colors dance. Then there’s Entre les Rangs, an urban field of thousands of reflective stems created by KANVA that will be displayed in First Ward Park. It plays off of the nature of a certain space and reflects its sense of life. Find these two installations May 9-11.
“Duke Energy’s participation really is more of a recognition of our place in the community as a neighbor, as a partner,” Johnson said. “Our whole goal is to contribute to the vibrancy of our community.”
