The media are not toys… they can be entrusted only to new artists, because they are art forms.
(McLuhan, 1954)
Nocturnal Earth
Site: Franklin Park, Boston
Year: Spring 2019
+art +installatio +publicart +bats +ecosystem +activation +nocturnal landscape +afterdark
In the novel Let There Be Night, Paul Bogard wrote that “the night is
when the wild earth comes alive”. Applied to Franklin Park, this statement
is ever so true. Although the park is home to a 72-acre local zoo,
beyond the fences of the zoo is a multitude of wildlife that remains
invisible to us, unknown, unseen. What is beyond the physical confinements
of this zoo? Even more fascinating, what is beyond the standard
9am-5pm daily operation of the park? Wildlife continues to exist after
dark, and perhaps even grows in intensity. This explores Franklin Park’s potentials after dark to activate
the night landscape by reintroducing nocturnal species into the
site such as local bat species and fireflies, making the invisible more
visible. This affords the site with educational & recreational programs,
engaging with the public for a broader understanding of natural systems
beyond what you can learn from the zoo.
Nocturnal creatures such as bats are invisible to the park visitor because they only emerge after dusk, yet people are often wary to go into the thickets of these woods at night due to poor lighting and a prevailing sense of danger for families with young children. By extending the park’s programmatic activities into the afterhours, nearby communities gain access to their neighborhood park even after dark.
Nocturnal creatures such as bats are invisible to the park visitor because they only emerge after dusk, yet people are often wary to go into the thickets of these woods at night due to poor lighting and a prevailing sense of danger for families with young children. By extending the park’s programmatic activities into the afterhours, nearby communities gain access to their neighborhood park even after dark.
