Essay Creek Show: Light Night On November 13, the Waller Creek Conservancy’s first annual Creek Show lit up nine blocks of downtown Austin. Despite the almost freezing temperatures, more than 1,000 people showed up to check out the installations and walk along the usually abandoned and derelict Waller Creek. As planning and development continue for Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates’ linear park along the creek, Creek Show’s “Light Night” provided a small glimpse of the potential for the creek to connect disparate areas of downtown as a community space. The installations both highlighted the ramifications of the diversion of the creek into a tunnel and celebrated the possibility of its future. Architectural photographer Casey Dunn donated proceeds from the sale of large-format photos of Waller Creek, which were on display in the Waller Ballroom. The exhibition, organized and sponsored by Pentagram Austin, occurred two days prior to the “Light Night” celebration. “We wanted to get the community excited about the creek,” said Ingrid Spencer, director of Creek Show, “and show Austin that their creek can be a clean, safe, beautiful place to gather.” Hidden Measures Designer: Jason Sowell, Associate Professor, The University of Texas at Austin High Water Mark Designer: Thoughtbarn Light Bridge Designer: Legge Lewis Legge Tracing the Line Designer: Baldridge Architects Flow
Above The
construction of the flood diversion tunnel has transformed Waller Creek into an artificial “natural” system. High Water Mark manifests the invisible line of Waller Creek’s 100-year flood plain. Left Utilizing photoluminescent paint, Hidden Measures reveals the impact of the new diversion tunnel on the creek’s hydrolog y and notes aspects of the creek’s flood history.
Designer: Design Workshop
PHOTOS BY JAMIE LEASURE.
28 Texas Architect
1/2 2015