DTE Energy Named Presenting Sponsor for DLECTRICITY

Inspired by nighttime art and light festivals from around the world, DLECTRICITY will once again illuminate Detroit this fall.

Midtown Detroit, Inc. (MDI) announced DTE Energy as presenting sponsor of this free illuminated urban spectacle featuring 35 world-renowned and emerging artists. The outdoor arts celebration will be held Sept. 26-27 in Midtown from 7 p.m. to midnight.

“DTE Energy is a tremendous corporate partner to our community and we are incredibly grateful to have them as our presenting sponsor for DLECTRICITY,” said Sue Mosey, president of MDI. “DTE Energy along with the support from all of our sponsors gives us the opportunity to create a world-class event, attracting high caliber artists and showcasing Midtown Detroit as an international art destination.”

“DTE Energy is proud to support DLECTRICITY as the presenting sponsor, bringing this spectacular nighttime festival of art and light to our community,” said Faye Nelson, vice president of public affairs for DTE Energy and president of the DTE Energy Foundation.

“We are committed to the vibrancy of our neighborhoods and it will be thrilling to see Detroiters and visitors explore an illuminated Midtown full of public art and light showcasing our great city.”

DLECTRICITY presented by DTE Energy will commission and host 35 international, national and local artists whose art will illuminate the Midtown Woodward corridor, from the Detroit Institute of Arts to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, with leading-edge installations of light, video, performance, interactive engineering and other unexpected works of art.

DLECTRICITY will feature artists from Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Poland and Sweden, as well as New York, Boston and Detroit’s own art community also will be well represented. Artists from 38 different countries submitted applications to DLECTRICITY, modeled after other Nuit Blanche festivals known for bringing the best of contemporary light and technology-based arts to the streets of major cities like Paris, Rome, Toronto, Minneapolis and New York.

“The quality of artists for this year’s DLECTRICITY is extraordinary,” said Michelle Perron, of the College for Creative Studies and head of the DLECTRICITY Curatorial Committee. “The city’s cultural center will literally light up with the creative energy that continues to put Detroit on the map with international artists and visitors.”

Additional committee members include Larry Baranski of the Detroit Institute of Arts, Marsha Miro of Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD), George N’Namdi of N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Art, Frank Arvan of FX Architecture, and Marc Schwartz, co-chair of DLECTRICITY.

Of the 35 DLECTRICITY artists revealed, 10 widely acclaimed and local artists have been invited to the festival to show a range of high-quality, light-based projects and video projections.

Artists include:

• Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg. “The Black Pot” video projection will be shown in the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) Loggia

• Kelly Richardson. “The Erudition” video projection will be shown on the facade of the Michigan Science Center.

• Sue de Beer. “The Legendary Leland City Club” video projection will be shown in the Detroit Historical Museum Plaza

• Shaun Gladwell. “Broken Dance (Beatboxed)” 2-channel synchronized video projection will be shown outside of MOCAD.

• Mindfield. “P.O.V.” 3D mapping video projection will be shown on the facades of the Detroit Public Library and the Detroit Institute of Arts.

• Compagnia TPO. “Kindur: The Adventurous Life of Icelandic Sheep” interactive theater performances for children will be performed in the Garden Theater.

• Jeff Sturges of Mt. Elliott Makerspace, Ralph Taylor of Caribbean Mardi Gras Productions and Sicari Ware of 5e Gallery and Piper Carter. “Hyper Interactive Hip Hop Carnival,” the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

• Osman Khan. “House,” neon sculpture, College for Creative Studies Sculpture Garden.

• Steve Locke. A collection of neon signs will be displayed in the windows of Midtown Detroit, Inc.

• Casa Magica. “Sound Spheres,” video projection will be shown on the 71 Garfield Building

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra also returns to DLECTRICITY with another live video projection of the Pops performance, “Let’s Dance,” conducted by Jeff Tyzik. Bring a lawn chair and enjoy this celebration of the art of dance as tango, tap and ballroom dancers are projected onto the facade of the Carpenter’s Building on Woodward.

Debuting in the fall of 2012, DLECTRICTY presented by DTE Energy attracted 75,000 people to Midtown. Popular programs from the inaugural year are back, including the Light Bike Parade on Saturday, September 27, where cyclists will bike a 4-mile route through Midtown, adding extra light and energy to the streets.

The DLECTRICITY Light Bike Parade is sponsored by Shinola with support from Wheelhouse Bikes. Cyclists are encouraged to register in advance at www.lightbikeparade.eventbrite.com.

DLECTRICITY is also partnering with the Detroit Design Festival (DDF) this fall. By scheduling both festivals during the same week, they are able to showcase programming and conversations that mark the intersection of art and design. The DDF, North America’s Festival of Independent Design produced by Detroit Creative Corridor Center, is Tuesday through Sunday, September 23-28.