The RiNo Art District has flipped the switch on a creative lighting and mural installation at the 38th Street Underpass between Blake and Wazee streets.
The installation includes an immersive light environment designed and created by Knomad Colab, as well as a new mural for the southern wall designed by Jason Graves and Pat Milbery of the So-Gnar Creative Division. The project required retrofitting nearly 100-year-old railroad infrastructure. The installation provides enhanced light, activation, color and safety to an important connector for the area.
“Two years ago, RiNo won the P.S. You Are Here Grant from Denver Arts and Venues to provide a creative solution to the sudden blindness drivers experience as they go from the bright light of 38th Street under the train bridge,” says Jamie Licko, president of the RiNo Art District. “We never anticipated the project growing into what it has become nor could we have predicted how much of a challenge this project would be, but the outcome is a spectacular utilization of art to solve a complex problem.”
The lighting installation, called Arabesque, will make one of the longest-standing connections between the east and west sides of RiNo safer for bicyclists, pedestrians and drivers alike. Knomad Colab was tasked with creating an installation in an environment that was prohibitive of installations because the bridge and its walls are owned by Union Pacific Railroad and could not be touched. Ultimately, they drew inspiration from the antique railing underneath the underpass and worked closely with the City of Denver to use property fabricate a creative solution.
“Arabesque is the culmination of many individual paths woven together to create a unified fabric, a whimsical experience and a safe and inviting passageway for community members and visitors alike,” says Katy Flaccavento, half of the Knomad Colab team. “Arabesque invites all walks to travel through a fantastical portal, to weave their story into the thick fabric of what was, is and will be.”
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Margaret is a veteran Denver real estate reporter and can be contacted
here.