The lights, Santa Clarita Mayor Bill Miranda said, will tell the story of water flowing like a river, evaporating into the clouds and storming down once more.
The city of Santa Clarita, in collaboration with the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency, New York-based artist Sujin Lim, the Visual Terrain design firm and the Santa Clarita Symphony Orchestra, offered the free “River of Lights” experience Wednesday evening to celebrate the unveiling of a public art installation at Central Park in Saugus. According to Miranda, the presentation was a celebration of creativity, innovation and the connection the community shares with nature.
“‘The River of Lights’ is a visual experience,” he told a crowd of hundreds of people gathered along the pathway leading to the exercise staircase and in the surrounding fields on picnic blankets and in lawn chairs. “Once we flip the switch, over 200 embedded lights will illuminate … They’ll illuminate, gently tracing the pathways of our exercise staircase and plaza.”
At the center of the plaza stood the newly unveiled art piece — a 14-foot-tall, 20-foot-wide set of steel clouds and cascading raindrop piping called “When Cloud Met a Cloud.” According to artist Lim, who specializes in creating site-specific installations and sculptures, the pipes symbolize both falling rain and the nearby pipeline in the Saugus hills that bring water to the area.
Maria Gutzeit, president of the SCV Water Agency board, emphasized the importance of water’s history, perhaps suggesting how, between 1908 and 1913, civil engineer William Mulholland oversaw the nearby Los Angeles Aqueduct that runs from the Owens Valley through the SCV to Los Angeles. Though the aqueduct doesn’t supply water directly to the SCV, it no doubt influenced the valley’s water infrastructure and management.
Santa Clarita Mayor Pro Tem Laurene Weste, in an interview before the “River of Lights” presentation, spoke about the importance of teaching children about water through art.
“What we want kids to know is that water comes from different places,” Weste said. “She (Lim) has got clouds, rain, it gets to the rivers and the lakes, and then the water gets transported through the pipes. We want to make them (kids) cognizant that water is a special gift.”
Before sunset on Wednesday, people gathered in the park to enjoy picnic dinners and play a variety of lawn games provided by the city. As the sky grew darker and a cool evening breeze prompted some to reach for jackets, local dignitaries took the stage to speak about the new art installation, the upcoming “River of Lights” presentation and the theme of water that ties it all together.
In attendance were members of the City Council, the Planning Commission, the Arts Commission, and the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, along with representatives from the offices of local legislators.
Steven Young, principal designer at Visual Terrain, led the lighting project that’s a part of the installation. His firm specializes in lighting design for architecture, attractions and art. Young’s resume includes work on the King Kong 360 3D and Fast and Furious attractions at Universal Studios, Hollywood, and the Battleship USS Iowa Museum “Lost at Sea” exhibit in San Pedro.
As part of the “River of Lights” experience, Young provided narration to guide the audience through five musical and visual movements, illustrating the water cycle — from the formation of a storm to its aftermath. These movements were represented by 214 recessed ground lights and stairway lights that changed color and intensity to correspond with a live performance by the Santa Clarita Symphony Orchestra in the park.
The music ranged from familiar classical works to a final, original piece written by the symphony’s own Patrick Karamian. According to Karamian and orchestra president J.R. Hills, they had a little less than a month to put the music together for “River of Lights.” Karamian said they worked with Young and Visual Terrain to create certain “emotive feelings.”
The show somewhat echoed the opening of Disney’s 1940 film “Fantasia,” using classical music and colorful lighting together to invoke a specific mood and atmosphere.
Many park attendees used phones and drones to record the experience. Some left their seats during the performance to wander along the pathways, lit by shifting beams of colored light that reached into the sky. Others posed for photos in front of the sculpture, and a few kids even climbed on it.
According to a city release, the art and lights were designed to spark imagination, encourage reflection and promote environmental awareness through light, motion and storytelling.
While the live orchestra performance was a one-time event for Wednesday’s unveiling, Miranda said the lights would remain on display.
“It will also feature special themed shows,” he said, “including a Fourth of July-inspired light show where residents can return to enjoy the experience with family and friends.”
According to Carrie Lujan, communications manager for the city of Santa Clarita, the “River of Lights” project came at a cost of $1.7 million. The “When Cloud Met a Cloud” sculpture, she added, was $100,000.
Miranda said he hoped the installation would continue to draw visitors throughout the year, offering both a visual spectacle and a reminder of the region’s connection to water.
