FLUX, FLOW, FALL: A TIME FOR ART IN ATLANTA

ART PLAYING WITH LIGHT IN THE DARK.  Walking along the streets in the Castleberry District of Atlanta, Georgia, pedestrians had the joy of discovering "art events" in nooks and crannies! What fun! (photo by Chiboogamoo)

Hallelujah for the IMAGINATION and how it wakes us all up! Here in Atlanta, it has become a tradition for Castleberry Hill to host a most unusual art event, one that plays with LIGHT and DARKNESS. Called FLUX, this event summons Atlantans at dusk, so that films can be projected on city buildings, performances move along streets in out of light, and dancers stomp on a lit stage while their elongated shadows dance behind them. Doors of art galleries are rectangular beacons of light inviting pedestrians in off the street.

DIGITAL GRAFFITI. As the night progressed, FLUX visitors started dancing to the digital graffiti projected on a building. Art event created by Jacob Abramson and Suzette Guy. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

It is always good to see friends in my artistic community here in Atlanta helping CREATE events. My dear Chiboogamoo and I were delighted to see Jessie Merle Bathrick and her husband Richard participating along with the Krewe of the Grateful Gluttons to create a Jazz Funeral for Snake Nation.

LANTERNS LIGHTING THE STEPS OF THE KREWE OF THE GRATEFUL GLUTTONS. Clad in funeral garb and marching to a dirge, these Grateful Gluttons lit up the night with their handmade fanciful lanterns! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

CREATIVE FRIENDS BRANDISHING LANTERNS. Friend Jesse is hidden by her homemade lantern. Her husband Dick is waving to Chiboogamoo, me and our crew! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

After the parade of the Krewe of Grateful Gluttons, we stopped to watch an art event made in collaboration with the community of art seekers. Stretched out on a grassy lawn was a piece of expansive red fabric. Participants took turns being encased in a red swath of fabric. In their pods, they wiggled and moved or sat still while we onlookers watched in fascination. Eerie music surrounded us. When ready, they were released from their cocoons, giving us all a sense of  some kind of REBIRTH. Hallelujah for ART and NEW WAYS of BEING!

RED PODS PROVIDING REBIRTH EXPERIENCE.  (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

The most intense experience of the evening for me was provided by GloAtlanta, a dance company, performing "Act of Devotion," choreographed by Lauri Stallings. Lots of vibrant movement, people transfixed, lights flashing and changing, dancers moving on stage and through the audience, dancers talking and telling stories to individuals. When one dancer stopped square in front of me and stared me in the eyes, I felt so uncomfortable, I laughed. She proceeded to tell me a story as if it were a confessional and we had just become best friends. Yet, it was eerily dreamlike. I would respond to her and she did not acknowledge me. Then she finished her story, finished holding me with her eyes and vanished into the crowd. A moment of ART in a public space made personal. 

ACT OF DEVOTION.  Words cannot describe GloAtlanta. You have to experience it. Notice the shadows projected on the wall behind. Some viewers watched from the street above while others of us went to the back alley and stood by the stage. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

There was so much ART at FLUX 2012 and thrilling gut wrenching involvement demanded of us the viewers. The evening turned cool, and we felt the FALL breeze lowering temperatures. Time flowing along with FLUX. Thank you FLUX for this sense of experiencing ourselves differently while taking in the city skyline of Atlanta!

FLUX, FLOW, AND FALL. At the end of the evening, you can my crew heading back to where we parked the car. The skyline of our beautiful city, Atlanta, is right in front of us! (photo by Hallelujah Truth) 

ARTISTS TAKING IN FLUX 2012. Here I am (center) with colleagues in creativity, Karen Phillps (left) and Elise Helfer (right). Here we were waiting for the parade to start! (photo by Chiboogamoo)