Inside Rail Trail Lights 2024, Running Through Feb. 18 – Charlotte Magazine

Rail Trail Lights, presented by U.S. Bank, is once again illuminating South End with new, never-before-seen interactive light displays. Running through Feb. 18, the event is part of the I Heart Rail Trail initiative, a partnership between the Charlotte Rail Trail, Charlotte Center City Partners, and U.S. Bank. This year’s participating artists include Oliver Lewis, Hnin Nie, Anna G. Dean, and J. Stacy Utley.

In total, 10 artists submitted proposals to be part of Rail Trail Lights this year. “In the past, Charlotte Center City Partners has issued an open call to artists where anyone living or working in North or South Carolina was invited to apply,” says Monica Ponce, Charlotte Center City Partners’ Director of Programs and Events. “This year, the artists were curated by the Charlotte Center City Partners team in collaboration with a local panel of artists, community members, and art enthusiasts. We invited ten artists to submit a proposal, and four were selected from there.”

Though they’re not told specifically what to create, Charlotte Center City Partners gave a list of parameters to artists and required their creations to be interactive, light-based pieces. Below, learn more about the selected artists’ works this year:

Oliver Lewis
Display: “Up-Next”
Installation location: Atherton Plaza near Trolley Barn (2102 S. Blvd)
“Up-Next” is an interactive sculpture that resembles vintage TV sets from the 1980’s. This captivating installation boasts ten massive kaleidoscopes that generate mesmerizing light patterns. Visitors can easily interact with “Up-Next.”

Hnin Nie
Display: “Oyster Corner”
Installation location: Kingston Connection near the Rail Trail Chalkboard (108 E. Kingston Ave.)
Created in collaboration with Callender Baker, “Oyster Corner” is inspired by the beauty of nature, particularly the elegance of oyster mushrooms. The vision is to bring a touch of nature to the heart of the city through a monochromatic design featuring a pink tree. The oyster mushrooms will come to life through a play of lights, transitioning from soft pink to warm yellow and a radiant white glow.

Anna G. Dean
Display: “Fractal Energy”
Installation location: The Wedge Patio near Flower Child (1537 Camden Rd.)
This sculpture is based on the famous visual representation of a fractal pattern. “Fractal Energy” takes inspiration from two sources: “The Infinity Room” (made popular by Japanese contemporary artist, Yayoi Kusama), and the “Sierpinski Triangle.” It is created using equilateral triangles that can be mathematically reduced so that it can be infinitely scalable.

J. Stacy Utley
Display:  “Leave the Light On” 
Installation location: The Pavilion (next to Futo Buta at 222 E Bland St.)
Inspired by his recent series of paintings, In Transition, and in collaboration with artists Dani Delrio and Karl Hoffman, Utley’s installation titled “Leave the Light On” addresses the impact of gentrification in communities and urban spaces, and the resulting effects on various demographics. Using a simple shape that represents a house, the work represents the homes and lives that have been affected by redevelopment.  The LED lights, while perceived as colorful, are coded. In the 1950s and 60s, redlining maps used the primary colors of red, yellow, and blue as indicator markings to distinguish desired areas from those in decline due to a lack of resources.

Planning on checking out the 2024 edition of Rail Trail Lights? Make a date night of it with a slew of ideas on how to do just that here. Learn more about the entire Rail Trail Lights program here.