Buffalo Bayou Partnership and Aurora Picture Show Bring Back Popular Media Art Event

Houston, TX – Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) and Aurora Picture Show will once again collaborate to present NIGHT LIGHT: an evening of video art on the Buffalo Bayou East trails. Launched in 2022 and attended by a diverse audience of approximately 3,000, NIGHT LIGHT will return on Saturday, April 1, 2023. The event will be centered around the East End’s Tony Marron Park with video works projected on surfaces along a half-mile stretch of waterfront trails. There will also be a night market with music, food trucks, and neighborhood vendors.

Houston artists Chap Edmonson, Jamie Robertson, and Input Output (Billy Baccam and Alex Ramos) have each created abstract and experimental, site-specific works for the evening. Artworks will engage with and animate infrastructure and site features, including the water itself.

The central hub of this year’s NIGHT LIGHT program is Tony Marron Park, which is also the heart of BBP’s master plan for the Buffalo Bayou East area. In addition to expansive green spaces, Buffalo Bayou East will include neighborhood trail connections, reimagined industrial sites, and other unique gathering spaces that connect Houstonians with our city’s most significant natural waterway and each other.

“In addition to showcasing the brilliant work of Houston’s film and media artists, NIGHT LIGHT also serves to connect visitors with the waterfront trails east of downtown,” says Karen Farber, BBP’s Vice President of External Affairs. “By activating these spaces, we are welcoming community members to locations they may not have visited, even in their own neighborhoods. We are grateful to Aurora Picture Show for partnering with us once again on this adventurous program.”

“NIGHT LIGHT offers the Houston community a truly unique experience and provides a platform for local artists who have an intimate relationship with the city’s natural, urban, and cultural landscapes,” says Salome Kokoladze, Aurora Picture Show Curator. “These commissioned video works represent diverse voices, connecting history and tradition to the future and engaging the power of playfulness in community building.”

Generous support for NIGHT LIGHT is provided by The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation. Buffalo Bayou Partnership is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.

Works:

PROTECTBYE⦁YOUPROTECT

Jamie Robertson

This site-specific video installation on a dock entreats the audience to intervene in Houston’s living waterway, Buffalo Bayou. Utilizing text and archival footage of alligators and snapping turtles accompanied by sounds of crickets, frogs, and computer-generated voices, the audience is informed of the significance of the bayou to the city as well as the etymology of the word “bayou.” Accompanying this work is BAYOU SIREN, a video that places the archetype of the siren/mermaid as a protector of the bayou. Jamie Robertson is a visual artist and educator from Houston, Texas. Working in  photography and video, Robertson’s creative practice is rooted in the recollection of the African Diaspora’s personal and collective histories, with a particular interest in the Gulf South.

Daisy’s Gate

Chap Edmonson

This multilayered experimental bridge installation by Chap Edmonson explores themes of identity, tradition, afro-futurism, and meditative reflection. Daisy’s Gate merges elements of AI, animation, family photos, and medieval church stained-glass windows in a vibrant, kaleidoscopic visual environment that encourages thoughtful contemplation of culture and memory. The title is inspired by Edmonson’s maternal great-grandmother, Daisy Crear, who died exactly three years after his birth. Chap Edmonson is an award-winning filmmaker based in Houston. His work is rooted in a deep desire to connect with those who have come before him. Through the use of unconventional compositions and soundscapes, Edmonson’s works explore rich histories, the future, and the points at which they intersect.

Luminous Playground

Input Output

This playful, interactive, activation blends retro arcade game elements with rhythm-based gameplay. Utilizing the facade of a pavilion at Tony Marron Park, dynamic, large-scale visual projections will be mapped to the space and will respond to the collaborative movements and gestures of attendees. The immersive experience is enhanced by layered audio elements synchronized with the visuals, creating a beautiful, audiovisual experience. Input Output is a Houston-based creative media lab comprised of Billy Baccam and Alex Ramos that brings structures and spaces to life through the creative implementation of light and sound. Challenging ideas of reality, their projects bring both technical innovation and a unique artistic process informed by their personal experiences.

ABOUT BUFFALO BAYOU PARTNERSHIP

Established in 1986, Buffalo Bayou Partnership is the non-profit creating and stewarding welcoming parks, trails, and unique spaces, connecting Houstonians with our 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 onto the Port of Houston Turning Basin. BBP creates and cares for inclusive public spaces such as Buffalo Bayou Park, constructs hike and bike trails, and removes trash from the waterway. Buffalo Bayou Partnership also activates the bayou through unique programs, public art, volunteer events and recreational opportunities that enrich the quality of life in Houston.

ABOUT AURORA PICTURE SHOW

Founded in 1998, Aurora Picture Show is a Houston-based non-profit media arts organization dedicated to expanding the cinematic experience and promoting the understanding and appreciation of moving image art. Throughout the year, Aurora presents innovative non-traditional, artist-made film, video, and multidisciplinary works. We support artists, engage audiences, foster community collaboration, and seed the future of creative media-making in Houston through unique artistic and educational experiences.