Hey, there! Log in / Register
The stars blink out above A Street in Fort Point
By adamg on Thu, 09/21/2023 - 3:21pm
One last look at the A Street stars, by the Fort Pointer.
The Fort Pointer reports that "Starry Night," above A Street on the underside of the Summer Street bridge, has blinked out after 14 years:
Artists Lisa Greenfield and Daniel J. van Ackere used a $1,000 grant from the Fort Point Arts Community to buy out the entire stock of twinkling blue Christmas lights from about a dozen stores in the Boston area in December, 2009:
That, and a supply of heavy-duty binder clips to attach the lights to the bridge, was the beginning of their temporary public art project Starry Night, which was part of the FPAC Winter Solstice Public Art Series.
Neighborhoods:
Topics:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Small but real loss to the area
I used to live around the corner from this, and it gave a bit of real beauty and cheer to an otherwise fairly nasty patch of space. Also a reminder that this neighborhood was colonized by artists before it was colonized by Amazon and the global upscale lifestyle miasma.
Always a highlight of my late
Always a highlight of my late night summer bike rides; alas it doesn’t generate capital like a sweetgreen so it’s gotta go.
same
I used to work near this and walked under it every day on my way to the Silver Line.
It was especially pretty during the winter when it snowed. I worked a few snow storms for that company and loved walking under that thing. No cars, no people.. just snow and the twinkling lights.
Sad that its gone.
(sigh)
I love the feeling of discovering something like this the first time, like Lego repairs to missing bricks, trophies under a bridge, random knitted covering on a statue. Its that moment of surprise and wonder, chuckling to myself at the sheer ingenuity of a fellow human. Thanks for the backstory on how this was made, I like it ever more now as I can imagine someone going to several CVS' and hardware stores buying up all the blue light strings, no Amazon or EBAY. Let's hope a new surprise awaits this otherwise grim stretch of road.
Fond memories of decorous liminal space
I remember during Snowmageddon how it brought joy and beauty to a couple months of difficult travel. I would walk under there with my husband and our friends from his job to whatever lot the carpool picked this time. It really made a dank space feel like a special and enchanted part of the world.
It also added to the bygone century appeal of a Trillium trip, back when their growler fill space was like visiting an alchemist's apothecary shop.
Magoo sez
When Magoo wishes upon a star Magoo wishes that just once he could perform before a stadium filled with thousands and thousands of fans and Magoo would skitskooobilybeebop the likes of Stephen Tyler of Aerosmith fame could skitdeedilyscoobop. Funnily enough this musical technique is also called scat. Scat also refers to poopies from critters. Magoo.
Scat. Magoo, scat
Scat, Magoo, Scat
Maybe that's what you should do.
Any word on why it was taken down?
Any word on why it was taken down?
8 weeks
It was only supposed to be up 8 weeks. Then got extended to 18 months.Time is up?Edit: I read the entire press release from 2013. The lights they purchased when they made it permanent had a life span of 10 years.
Reply from Lisa Greenfield removed
I posted a reply from Lisa Greenfield here earlier today, but she asked me to take it down. She may have more to say about it later.
Could they not have netting AND lights?
It's not clear to me how those are incompatible; seems like putting up netting would be a good occasion to refresh the lights with a few new strands (or even figure out a more permanent setup).
Pretty sure
Pretty sure I heard via the neighborhood group that the city would let the lights go back up after the net is installed. That said, after 10 years is it in good enough shape to get put back up
Nice
In the 2000s, I walked under that bridge twice a day on my way to and from work at a very questionable company that a major credit card used to farm it's concierge work out to, and what a grim walk it was. I felt like I was the only person on Earth who walked under that bridge. (A lot of cars, though). I wish this had been there back then, it would have added some cheer to my days.
Also, just wondering. What turned it on and off?
huge bummer
it was so pretty at night. I work nearby and it was nice to have that part lit up - it can be scary dark in parts at night otherwise. Any idea why it had to be removed?