(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — An international partnership has brought a new interactive art installation to one of the most iconic buildings on Michigan Avenue.
On Sunday morning, Spectrum by Mirari, a multidisciplinary creation studio in Québec, officially opened outside 875 N. Michigan Ave., formerly known as the John Hancock Center. The free art display features 15 metallic hoops that serve as conduits for communication, light, and sound.
The idea behind the installation is to foster connection. People can interact with each other by standing on opposite sides of the display while the metallic hoops illuminate and make sounds to translate what’s said from one side to the other.
“The message is about, first of all, experiencing something in person,” said Kimberly Bares, president and CEO of The Magnificent Mile Association. “A lot of what we have experienced through COVID has been from a distance.
“This is a very personal experience that connects people.”
Even while the public art display was being installed and tested throughout the weekend, people were already using it to connect with others.
“Since this morning, we were here earlier, and [we saw] people who don’t know each other just interacting together,” Jean-Francois Hould, delegate to Québec Government Office, said.
The installation, which came to Chicago all the way from Québec, is the result of a partnership between the Magnificent Mile Association, Québec Government Office in the Midwest, and the Special Service Area No. 76.
Québec is known for its interactive art displays, especially in the Quartier des Spectacles in Montreal. The goal of the project was to capture that essence.
“It's so great to bring a little bit of Québec, and of this experience that we have, and bringing people downtown with this installation,” Hould said.
The project not only aims to encourage people to return to Michigan Avenue, but the goal is to also elevate their experience in the Mag Mile.
“This is one of my favorite buildings in the city of Chicago,” SSA Commissioner Jennifer Hesser said.
Hesser added: “And I think when you take the stark, quintessential Skidmore, Owings and Merrill cross beams at the building, that black beautiful architecture, and then you balance it against this beautiful metallic, circular structure in front of it that illuminates — it's really powerful.”
On weekdays, the display will open at 9 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. On weekends, it will close at 10 p.m. It will be on display through May 7.
“Well, we're building a whole sense of FOMO from Michigan Avenue,” Bares said. “And if you are here on Michigan Avenue, you would be guaranteed you will miss out on incredible experiences.”
As the weather warms up, Bares says there is much more to come to the Magnificent Mile.
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