Talk:The Bay Lights

A fact from The Bay Lights appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 23 January 2013 (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:

Did you know... that The Bay Lights art installation uses 25,000 white LED lights, programmed to create a series of abstract patterns that ascend and descend the cables on the San Francisco Bay Bridge?

A record of the entry may be seen at Wikipedia:Recent additions/2013/January. The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/The Bay Lights.

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Visual arts: Public art

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Untitled[edit]

I liked this quote, but didn't now if there was a good place to put it:

"What you will see are sequences that are orchestrated but will never repeat," said Villareal. "It will be very subtle and elegant. You could think of it almost as music, but mapped to the visual sense."^[1]

References

^ Whiting, Sam (2012-9-12). "Bay Bridge to beam vivid light sculpture". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 18 January 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

photos[edit]

This article cries out for a picture (or more) of its subject... --Piledhigheranddeeper (talk) 13:05, 23 January 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I am eager to see a photo, too, when the installation is up and running. Question: will they be allowed under America's (non-)freedom of panorama laws? Is a light-based art installation classed as a sculpture? Binksternet (talk) 13:11, 23 January 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Bink and Piledhigh, I brought this question up with some lawyers and a couple folks in WP:Public art and both suggested we're going to have a hard time with Freedom of Panorama. The installation would likely be considered a feature and not part of the architecture and thus copyrighted. I even wrote an email to the people who are managing the project and asked what the contract with Caltrans stipulates (they said they'd get back to me). I'm going to go to the trial lighting that is happening tomorrow (24 Jan) to take some pics and try to talk to Villareal about it, see if he'll at least grant a mid-res image with CC license. I might even just give him my camera to take a few photos and get him to sign an OTRS permission. If nothing else, I'll upload some shots that I take to EnWP and see if we can argue fair use. Other ideas? Almonroth 22:51, 23 January 2013 (UTC)[reply]

It might work to have a photograph of the artist in the foreground, lit with flash, with the bridge display partly visible behind him. If this can be arranged. Otherwise, I like the idea of getting the artist onboard with OTRS etc... Binksternet (talk) 05:33, 24 January 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I just added a low-res image of the test from last night. I uploaded it directly to Wikipedia with a fair use rationale. It still seems really crazy to me that images of the Bay Bridge at night now will be copyrighted by the owner of the light installation? Bink, let me know if you think this image could be uploaded to Commons and I'll put up a higher res version. Almonroth 19:51, 25 January 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I'm no expert in FOP laws but perhaps there is a loophole such that a lighting test with all LEDs powered up at the same time is not "art", as it is not part of the intended artistic appearance with patterns and such. Perhaps this is analogous to a photo of workers erecting a sculpture which is not yet in place. Binksternet (talk) 22:12, 25 January 2013 (UTC)[reply]

[1] Whiting, Sam (2012-9-12). "Bay Bridge to beam vivid light sculpture". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 18 January 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

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