Waterloo Conservancy hosts 10th annual “Creek Show”
Colorful lights decorated the entrance to Waterloo Park as people of all ages gathered in line to see the 10th annual “Creek Show.” Five light-based art installations were scattered on one of the park’s trails that weaved throughout Waller Creek’s endless tunnels.
The show was open to the public from Nov. 8-16 and featured the following displays: “Alluvial,” “The Ghost Boat: Through the Looking Glass,” “Night Watch,” “Shadows of Former Watch” and “Waller Creek High, A School for Extraordinary Fish.”
All proceeds went directly to its host and non-profit organization, The Waterloo Greenway Conservancy. The Waterloo Greenway Conservancy paired with American Institute of Architects Austin to raise awareness and public support for its conservation efforts in restoring Waller Creek according to its website.
“Celebrating the 10th anniversary of Creek Show is a testament to the power of light, creativity and community,” said Ingrid Spencer, American Institute of Architects Austin Executive Director and Creek Show Co-Founder, on the Waterloo Greenway website. “Creek Show has not only illuminated our cityscape but has also shone a spotlight on the vital restoration and revitalization efforts of Waller Creek, fostering a deeper connection to our urban parks and their ecological importance.”
Woah’s and Ooh’s were heard from the crowd as it made its way through the first couple of installations illuminated in the afternoon dusk. Following through the path, people were met with bright art pieces contrasting against the cobbled tunnels and rushing creek’s eeriness. Finally the show ended with a color-changing display school of fish.
Daniel Goodwin, an artist for the design group Polis and co-artist of “Waller Creek High, A School for Extraordinary Fish” stood at the end of the show explaining the influence behind the display. Goodwin created this piece alongside his friend Bruce Wilcox as a followup to their previous piece, “Amedo Beta” from the 2018 show.
“Last time [Wilcox and I] did an installation here, we had a creek monster who you couldn’t normally see, but whenever you saw a flicker of light around the creek that signified him walking by and every year around this time you could see him for a day or two,” Goodwin said. “We wanted to build on that universe, so we made this disappearing school of fish.”
Goodwin and Wilcox typically work on light-based large scale installations like this one, along with some other members of Polis. He advises people to try something new.
“Build crazy things,” Goodwin said. “Build hard things and have fun with it.”
Creek Show attracted friends, family and even University of Texas art students like Srisha Chackravorty, Farah Narejo and Gianna Paredes who frequently attend other art events together. Chackravorty emphasizes the importance of getting to see events like these.
“It’s impressive seeing the real life application,” Chackravorty said. “Because we work on the technical processes and we learn from the classes and that gets a little tedious, but then you come here and we get to see how that can pay off.”
Each installation’s significance and background resonated with either The Waterloo Greenway Conservancy, Waller Creek or the city itself. Waterloo park and Waller Creek gave a place for these pieces to call home, showcasing how nature collided with the world of art.
“It’s also so different from anything we do just because everyone’s art is so personal to them,” Narejo said. “It’s interesting to see what they [other artists] do with their mediums and what their art is meant for.”
However, the students said the most notable part was the encouragement Creek Show provides as they continue their art education.
“It’s always fun to see other art on display like this, because we’re still students who don’t really have that opportunity yet,” Narejo said. “Since we’re doing smaller projects now, it’s interesting to see where we could take it and to know that there is a future in Austin for us.”