IN Light IN

Friday and Saturday night saw the presentation of

IN Light IN, an exhibit of twenty-four light installations

designed by artists from all over the United States.

The event was to honor the 100th anniversary

of The Indianapolis Foundation,

Indiana's oldest and largest community 

foundation meant to continuously improve

the quality of life for the people of Marion County.

Although it was a "rain or shine" event,

IN Light IN was hit by heavy rains a few hours

before the lights were to be switched on.

As thunderstorms blew through, flooding many

intersections, I was still at home, but decided to go

as soon as the rain turned to sprinkles.

I'm glad I did and that feeling was probably

shared by the other folks who came, too.

While some of the installations were 

literally washed out by the rain, most were

up and running on cue, their lights pulsating,

changing, and glowing in response

to both music and the movement of the crowds.

Performers and models in lighted costumes 

walked among the spectators, laughing, chatting,

and posing for pictures. Of course there was

food and music. A first-rate gospel performance by

Rodnie Bryant and the Indie Singers were

part of an installation involving the Bethel A.M.E.

Church, and Projected Visions was presented by

a pair of artist/musicians from Los Angeles.

As the evening dried out, more and more 

people showed up, in some areas they were 

shoulder to shoulder. More performers

were in evidence and, as the connections

dried out, more of the exhibits were

 activated. Sadly, I couldn't stay longer

to enjoy the additional fun.

I only hope that this is just the first,

the inaugural IN Light IN.

A Contrast in Grids

A couple days ago, I came upon 

this lovely tangle of knotted nylon.

The red tile and gray, gridded mortar 

on the wall provided a controlled contrast

to the sinuous coils of an unused 

volleyball net.

Wire Nuts

The most mundane things can spark my interest ...

These little red berries, sprouted at the ends of wires 

in digital phone lines, hang open to the elements.

They are street-side, near the bus stop 

I use to go downtown. I Googled "wire nuts"

to make certain I had the right term,

but there were none of these little red berries

shown among the images. However, they serve 
the same purpose, connecting tiny wires 
inside a mess of themselves in a small area.

I think they're cute.

Oh, Yeah, It's Theme Day: Doh!

It's another theme day and I've been rushing around, 

home-job-swim-repeat, for what seems like months, 

but has really only been a few weeks.

Gee, I even recall looking at the CDP page 

to find out what the topic would be for August, 

then promptly forgot about it.

Oh, well, here it is - a short presentation

of pictures of one of the many apartment buildings

that are being constructed in the downtown area.

I caught this moment as workmen were directing a crane

as it flew in some trusses for a floor in the new building,

just outside the Downtown area, at the corner 

of Massachusetts Avenue and New York Street.

The rents of most of the buildings starts at just over

a thousand dollars a month for a small, one bedroom

apartment. I have to wonder about this because

the property owners don't expect their tenants to become

long-term residents of their buildings; no, they

expect them to stay a year or to, then move on to

bigger jobs or to finish school and go on

to other places. In a state where the government

isn't exactly known for attracting businesses that

pay their employees a substantial wage,

who is going to be living in these buildings?

Where are the jobs and where are the educated 

workers who will be qualified for those jobs?

I also noticed that most of the crew working 

on this project are Hispanic. 

This is progress: earlier migrants seemed

to form the backbone of roofing crews who came

into the area during the summer, going from

town to town to put roofs on houses all

through the Midwest. And they do drywall

work, and they paint. Those that do good work

go on to have their own businesses, laying

the foundation for the new wave of immigrants

who will eventually become they mainstays

of their American working communities.

They are, perhaps, in the process of maintaining

and building the very neighborhoods

of which they will eventually be a part.