By Danielle Avidan Pacific Palisades
Let me add my 2 cents to the comments that were made regarding the [Glow] festival last week. I also found that the crowd was overwhelming and I felt uncomfortable at one point while on the pier, fearing it might collapse. The “art work” was too distant apart and difficult to access (such as the light display on the sand) for some older folks. I didn’t know what was going on half of the time and was going from one area to the next, getting tired and frustrated. I didn’t even know about anything happening under the bridge. There were too few volunteers on hand to inform/direct people.
Reading a newsletter from the French Embassy in Washington I learned that the festival was a take on the “Nuit Blanche” event held very successfully in Paris every summer. The display of the light and glass work that they pictured on that newsletter was not shown in Santa Monica. Why?
My suggestion is that next year you do a more compact art display on the same Glow theme with more traditional artwork mixed up with modern ones. Frankly I was not impressed — none of what was shown seemed to be of high international caliber, or perhaps I missed it! Why don’t you envisage doing a “Light and Sound” show like they have in most cities in Europe? The ones in Versailles and in Luxor, Egypt are spectacular!
I realize the SM Pier might not be a work of art in itself, but I’m sure talented light artists and musicians can create a stupendous effect. There are international artists such as Christo and Eliasson who could, I am sure, be a source of inspiration. Perhaps your Glow committee could research their work and get some great ideas.
These are my observations and I hope you can take some of my recommendations into consideration. The show was definitely not spectacular, but all in all I’m glad that the restaurants and various vendors had a successful evening, and some of us had fun eating and drinking.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 31, 2008. Read the original PDF.