A lake or a pond? Both wet wonders are full of unfathomable mysteries, or, should we say, fathomable mysteries, as water and compositional elements can be accurately and succinctly explained by science.
Sometimes, though, art, emotion, and fantasy enter the world of lakes and ponds, such as when you catch the sunlight glinting on the surface in just the right way, or you spy thousands of colorful, over-sized spheres floating, quite placidly, at the lake in MacArthur Park.
That happened two years ago, in August 2015, as part of a whimsical, ideaful installation from Portraits of Hope.
The organization, which was founded by brothers Ed and Bernie Massey in 1995, calls upon "...creative therapy for hospitalized children, civic education for students in school, and community engagement opportunities for people of all ages" to help create large-scale, camera-perfect, here-today-gone-in-a-few-weeks artworks.
If you dearly loved those spheres, and many Southern Californians did, if social media snapshots tell the visual tale, prepare for the next Portraits of Hope installation: Over 1,000 discs, discs that can float, discs that are fluorescent and full of flower power, will be placed upon the Lily Pond at Beverly Gardens Park in Beverly Hills, with the ultimate result?
A spectacular spread of eye-popping, water-sparkling, whimsical-wonderful hue called Neon Nights in 3D.
But hue know — or, rather, you know — that hue is just the start of spectacle if "3D" is in the name. While the floating discs may be admired without glasses, and in the daytime, too, visitors will be invited to don a pair whenever the installation is officially open at night.
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And those open hours? Plan on swinging by on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday evening from 8 to 10 p.m. from Aug. 3 through Aug. 31, if you'd like to see the discs take on a different dimension, thanks to hand-held blacklights.
It's large-scale art, with heart, that will once again run for a number of weeks in one of our city's splashier spots (literally).
To read more about Portraits of Hope, and the organization's work with revitalizing animal shelters, and how you might help its future, fantastical installations, start at the big-spirited group's online HQ.
