HOUSTON, TX – Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) is pleased to announce the return of Cistern Illuminated, an annual winter installation that transforms the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern into an underground wonderland of ethereal light and sound.

Beginning December 6, this cavernous, decommissioned drinking water reservoir will come alive through the play of vibrant light and atmospheric sound, yielding a site-specific and truly unique holiday experience. Cistern Illuminated is created by artist/engineer, Kelly O’Brien of Fenris. Tours will be offered Wednesday through Sunday on the hour from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the exception of 12 p.m. and 4 p.m., through January 26, 2025. Tickets can be reserved here.

On select evenings, Cistern Illuminated will be the setting for live choral performances by Schola Cantorum of downtown Houston’s Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. This year’s program, titled “Voices of Light,” offers a journey through centuries of music, from 4^th-century chant to the works of Hildegrad von Bingen and modern compositions, including those by the Co-Cathedral’s own Crista Miller. The resonating voices of the Schola Cantorum paired with the spectacle of Cistern Illuminated are sure to enchant all who attend.

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About Buffalo Bayou Partnership

Established in 1986, Buffalo Bayou Partnership is the non-profit organization creating and stewarding welcoming parks, trails, and unique spaces, connecting Houstonians with the city’s most significant natural waterway. The organization’s geographic focus is the 10-square mile stretch of the bayou that flows from Shepherd Drive, through the heart of downtown into the East End, and on to the Port of Houston Turning Basin. In addition to spearheading award-winning green spaces such as Buffalo Bayou Park, BBP also removes trash from the waterway and activates the bayou through unique programs, public art, volunteer events, and recreational opportunities that enrich the quality of life in Houston.

About the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern

A structure reminiscent of the ancient Roman cisterns in Istanbul, the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern is a cavernous, 87,500-square-foot-space featuring more than 200 slender, 25-foot-high concrete columns. BBP rediscovered the Cistern in 2010 when it was developing Buffalo Bayou Park, a 160-acre green space west of downtown Houston. Recognizing the significance of the highly unusual site, BBP took the bold step of repurposing the Cistern into a magnificent public space. In addition to tours highlighting the history and architecture of the Cistern, BBP presents an ambitious program of changing art installations in this iconic space, including past projects by Magdalena Fernández, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Anri Sala, and Rachel Rossin.

About Kelly O’Brien

An artist and engineer, Kelly O’Brien has extensive experience designing and fabricating art installations. O’Brien develops his own large-scale artistic work, as well as managing Fenris, a team of designers and fabricators honed to build and install captivating creations for other artists. His application of engineering principles and fabrication methods successfully transforms workable ideas from the realm of imagination into three-dimensional reality.