Canal Convergence’s spectacular show of light, water and art will return this year, but with noticeable changes.

The popular 10-day event takes place Nov. 6-15 and will still showcase light-based artworks from around the world. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of its signature interactive activities will take place with social distancing in mind.

“We want folks to be safe. So for us, it’s no longer an event, it’s more an experience where people can come and see the public artwork, which is now going to be spread out throughout downtown Scottsdale,” said Kim Boganey, director of Scottsdale Public Art.

This year’s event will expand beyond the Scottsdale Waterfront

Scottsdale Public Art, which launched Canal Convergence in 2012, will expand the event this year from beyond the Arizona Canal at the Scottsdale Waterfront. In addition to some artworks at the waterfront, others will be located throughout Old Town Scottsdale to minimize crowding.

This year, the event will feature livestreamed performances and in-person events held at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. There will not be a beer and wine garden this year, but special events including a drive-thru performance from Movement Source Dance Company will also be featured during the multiday event.

Here are some of the Canal Convergence 2020 installations

• “Across the Divide,” by Casey Farina, is a generative video installation that uses projection mapping across multiple windows to produce visual habitats where abstracted human forms reside.
• “Fences,” by Philadelphia’s Immerge Interactive, is an interactive light installation, where patterns are generated by the motion of foot traffic along a custom LED display.
• “Hidden Garden,” by Koros Design, is a series of four inflatable light sculptures, where artistic flowers wrap around real trees, extending the “green space” of the city and creating an unusual and playful atmosphere.
• “Information Flow,” by Justin Winters and Walter Productions, is an interactive light sculpture that represents the hidden digital network of communication surrounding us.
• “Kukulkan’s Portal,” by Liquid PXL of Los Angeles, is a light-based, geometric sculpture featuring 10,000 individually programmable LEDs, honoring new discoveries in mathematics and science through its modular design.
• “Massively Distributed,” by MASARY Studios, is a community-driven public art expression, featuring sampled sound and visual textures from the Scottsdale area.
• “Spectrum (Frame Version),” by Paris-based artist Olivier Ratsi, is a luminous installation of 20 suspended LED frames, stretching 40 feet across Marshall Way Bridge to display all the colors in the visible spectrum.
• “Together! Responding to COVID-19,” by OGE Group of Haifa, Israel, is a 32-foot-high light sculpture of multicolored hands coming together, holding each other, and forming the shape of a collective heart.

Additionally, each featured art piece of art will use augmented reality technology to enhance the Canal Convergence experience with an app for your smartphone. 

Visitors will be able to scan a QR code attached to the artwork or a specific location and watch a performance or listen to an artist talk. 

“It’s a cool way to stay safe because you’re not necessarily having to touch anything. You will get a really great experience either learning about artworks or just seeing some cool art,” Boganey said.

Elizabeth Montgomery is Arts and Culture Reporter for The Arizona Republic, azcentral.com. Reach her at [email protected] or 602-444-8764. Follow her on Twitter @emontnews.

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