Inspired by eclipse: Four artists chosen to present temporary public art during Balloon Fiesta

Saturday’s annular eclipse is a highlight happening during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

And the city of Albuquerque’s Public Art Program has partnered with the Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum for temporary public art that is inspired by or interacts with the eclipse.

“We had over 20 applicants and narrowed it down to four artists,” says Sherri Brueggemann, city of Albuquerque Public Art Urban Enhancement, division manager. “These are artists from across the country.”

Each artist proposed a project — one being a projection, which is being shown on the wall of the Balloon Museum.

Tuesday morning, Mike Gould was at the front of the museum with the project “Laser Borealis.”

In keeping with the theme of astronomy, “Laser Borealis” is a stylized depiction of Aurora Borealis made bilateral. The basis of this is called laser lumia; the distinctive patterning can only be achieved by shining a laser through a diffractive medium.

The project is interactive, with visitors able to affect the intensity and movement of the projected lumia patterns by using a controller.

In addition, visitors can hear AI-generated sounds and see laser patterns synchronized to the sounds, as interpreted by Gould, who utilized solar weather-inspired sounds provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This additional layer of laser art is titled “Sun et Lumiere.”

“This is the fourth museum show we’ve done, and it’s been a great experience,” he says. ”My wife and I drove out from Michigan with the equipment, and we’ve been out every morning explaining what everyone is seeing. It’s been a pleasant experience for us as we’re letting people know about the project.”

Gould will be out at the Balloon Museum each morning from 5-7 a.m. through Saturday. He will also be projecting from 6:30-9 p.m. Thursday-Saturday.

Brueggemann says “Balloon Eclipse” was created by Billy Joe Miller, Graham Parker Ansell, Nick Skekerjian, Giffen Clark Ott and Mitch Berg.

The piece is inspired by the form and envelope of early hot air balloons, and like an eclipse, it transforms and obscures light and color.

“Similar to a sun-dial, the acrylic and aluminum cast saturated colored shadows and reflections, shifting with the position of the sun and changing light,” Brueggemann says. “Movement and distance near and far will animate and bring the art to life.”

The third piece is “Cosmic Prism” by Chad Waples.

With “Cosmic Prism,” Waples aims to bring greater awareness to the study of spectroscopy with a sculpture that evokes the colorful similarities of images produced from telescopes while highlighting our capabilities of being able to gather compositional data by mapping out these colorful different wavelengths.

“‘Cosmic Prism’ conceptually celebrates the pivotal role of spectroscopy in astronomy, shedding light on its profound contributions to unraveling the compositional mysteries of celestial bodies within and beyond our solar system,” Brueggemann says. “This dynamic installation offers an enchanting experience both day and night.”

The final piece is “Space Messengers” by STEMarts Lab and is on view from Thursday through Saturday.

Brueggemann says the piece is an immersive mixed-reality installation and international youth exchange exploring the universe through art, science and technology

It is an ongoing collaboration among artists, scientists, interdisciplinary experts and youth ambassadors.

Brueggemann says the city was able to pay for the temporary art through the 1.5% for Art Funds.

“Last year, the City Council approved an increase for public art,” she says. “We also needed a strategy for funding art that doesn’t stick around forever. We can now fund digital media art work that people can enjoy and then it goes away.”