The Hidden Life of Bridges premieres Thursday, September 8th, at dusk

Issued September 6, 2011

A temporary public art installation, The Hidden Life of Bridges, will feature large-scale video projections and composed sound on the Morrison and Hawthorne bridges beginning September 8th at dusk as part of PICA’s TBA:11 Festival. For this project commissioned by the Regional Arts & Culture Council and Multnomah County, artists Ed Purver and Tim DuRoche reveal the inner workings of the county’s bridges that span the Willamette River.

From 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm on September 8-10, the south sides of the Morrison Bridge river piers will feature video projections that are generated by live sounds coming from the Hawthorne Bridge – revealing images of the people who work on the bridges as well as the structure’s hidden spaces. The accompanying audio composition can be heard from the sidewalk of the Hawthorne Bridge from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm seven days a week September 10th through October 9th. The audio can also be heard on the phone by dialing 503.713.5852, and the projections can also be viewed from Tom McCall Waterfront Park and the Eastbank Esplanade.

Ed Purver is a Brooklyn-based artist who integrates digital media into public spaces, and has recently created artworks for the Liverpool Biennial (UK), Seoul Institute of the Arts (South Korea) and the Manhattan Bridge. Tim DuRoche is a jazz and sound artist living in Portland whose work ranges from live performance to installation, including projects with Tere Mathern Dance, Linda K Johnson and Cydney Wilkes.

The Hidden Life of Bridges is funded by Multnomah County Percent for Art and administered by RACC as part of part of RACC’s intersections program, where the art of work meets the work of art. Multnomah County maintains five Willamette River bridges in Portland that connect the city’s east and west sides: the Broadway, Burnside, Hawthorne, Morrison and Sellwood. Phone service was designed and sponsored by MegaPhone Labs, an international company that provides real time social interaction between audiences and screens, using phone calls, mobile apps, and web apps.

For more information, visit these links:
www.hiddenlifeofbridges.org
www.edpurver.com
www.timduroche.com
www.web.multco.us/bridges
www.racc.org/publicart