From sunset on June 10 to sunrise on June 11, Northern Spark 2017 is a free all-night art festival exploring the effects of climate change through participatory projects happening in neighborhoods along Metro Transit’s Green Line.

Stay up late with WAM and witness time and space blend together. Record your climate change story, weave art out of waste, visit with the owls, and lend your body's internal rhythm to electronic sonatas.

Get the full Northern Spark 2017 schedule here >>>

 

11:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m. WAM auditorium. #wamnightowl

Owl Meet-and-Greet with The Raptor Center

Get in touch with your inner night owl as you visit with owls from The Raptor Center and learn the effects humans have on their environment.  

 

Open all night. Outside WAM’s front doors. #listen2earth

Un:heard Resonance

By John Keston with Mike Hodnick, Chris LeBlanc, Aaron Marx, Lucas Melchior

Electronic sonatas are composed in realtime with micro-sonic signals crowdsourced from the audience. A variety of microphones and sensors capture rarely heard vibrations emitted by geological, biological, and technological processes. Three movements chronicle the stages of the planet’s evolution from purely geological, to biological, and finally technological.

 

Open all night. Coffman Lawn. #backyardphenology

Listening to Climate Change: Stories from the Field

By Christine Baeumler with Randy Duerr, Kate Flick, Rebecca Montgomery, Beth Mercer-Taylor, and Rachel Jendrzejewski

Join the citizen science project Backyard Phenology! This project is a place-based observation and study of seasons and cycles of the natural world based on phenology - which involves observation of the timing of phenomena, such as the flowering of plants. The Climate Chaser Mobile Phenology Lab is a space to listen to recorded climate change stories gathered over the past year as well as share stories of environmental observations.

 

Open all night. Coffman Lawn.#walkwiththeanimals

Human Hamster Wheel

By Karen Haselmann and Willis Bowman

Come see the human hamster wheel that powers art and ideas! Step inside and set in motion a world of change and possibility.

As participants walk in the wheel, they power a rope that rotates rings beneath a miniature world. Throughout the night people are encouraged to add drawings and commentary about climate change to the rotating rings. Walkers will keep the rotating gallery in motion until morning. Walkers will receive musical encouragement from the Cabaret 360 Stage. The portable popup venue hosts acoustic music with an array of animal luminarias. Bring sensible footwear and your imagination to this slow paced forward moving event.

 

Open all night. Coffman Lawn. #weavewaste

Lawn-a-Loom: Weaving out of Waste

By Textile Center and Weavers Guild of MN

Using discarded textiles, the Textile Center and Weavers Guild of MN will weave a giant collaborative work of art out of waste. Bring your own materials and learn to weave! The finished weaving will be displayed at Textile Center, a national center for fiber art.

 

Open all night. Coffman Lawn. #TunnelVision

Grand Challengers: Tunnel Vision

By the Grand Challengers (comprised of students and instructors from the University of Minnesota Making Sense of Climate Change class)

How can we make climate change central to our collective vision of society? Participants enter a tunnel timeline where they sonically and visually experience rising temperatures and increased storm frequency. Once they reach the eye of the storm, they will make decisions to determine a more sustainable future together.

Instructors: Christine Baeumler, Rebecca Montgomery | TA: Reb L Limerick | Sound Designer: Alex Adkinson | Students: Kristin Anton, Emily Bierbrauer, Joeri Buis, Paige Carlson, Michelle Danielson, Nicole Delpizzo, Jess Doro, Erin Erickson, Amanda Giordano, Maggie Hall, Madeline Harpell, Katie Hayes, Teri Holman, Mikaela Isaacson, Isaac Krieger, Alyssa Krueger, Olivia Latimer, Devon Lee, Angie Les, Ellie McNairy, Luke Myers, Kenneth Niemeyer, Olivia Novotny, Carly Odegard, Anna Orbovich, Alyssa Riley, Rachel Rubenfeld, Anna Sinclair, Josh Weidenbach