Art News

Art installation unleashes blinking, musical seesaws on downtown Dallas

Ride my seesaw.

Photo by Scogin Mayo, courtesy of the Dallas Arts District

A dozen giant glowing seesaws are coming to Dallas via an interactive art installation from Montreal called Impulse, which will land in downtown Dallas from April 13-May 6.

Impulse is an art installation of 12 seesaws, wired with LED lights and speakers. It's interactive: It gets brighter and emits sound when people climb on. By playing on the seesaws, visitors create dynamic light and sound waves.

Impulse debuted in 2015-2016 at the Place des Festivals, an outdoor plaza in Montreal's Cultural District. The goal was to encourage people to visit the arts district when events were not taking place. The installation was conceived as inclusive and engaging via its theme of urban play.

Creators Lola Sheppard and Conor Sampson say that the project had two tasks: to occupy a big space, and to make a connection between light and sound, with the person being the force that makes it all happen.

According to its website, Impulse was inspired by the cover of the Joy Division album Unknown Pleasures. That album cover art — showing a black background with white parallel lines — is probably the best known in Joy Division's catalog, but wow, that's still a fairly underground kind of inspiration.

Their other inspiration was the music of minimalist Steve Reich, which plays with repetition, rhythm, and syncopation. This is possibly even more obscure, much applause goes their way. Although it seems like they're missing an opportunity, since there is an actual song called "Ride My See-Saw" by the Moody Blues.

The original installation in Montreal had 30 interactive acoustic illuminated seesaws that came in two lengths, forming units of light and sound that could be "played" by the public to create a temporal, ever-changing event.

With multiple seesaws shifting, their vertical motion creates a dynamic light and sound wave. Its use of serialism, repetition, and variation produces zones of intensity and calm within a large public space.

When not in use, the seesaws revert to a horizontal position and remain at a lower glowing level, just a band of dimmed light.

Impulse will be installed in Dallas in two consecutive locations:

April 13-22: Sammons Park at 2403 Flora St., in partnership with AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District
April 25-May 6: Main Street Garden at 1902 Main St.

It will be open from 8 am-11 pm daily.

The installation will kick off with the free Changing Perspectives Block Party in the Dallas Arts District on April 13 from 6 pm-midnight and will feature Dark Circles Contemporary Dance, food truck fare, local brews, family-friendly games, pop-ups, and featured performances by local and national artists, photo booth, and community mural.

downtown

Music and Fashion

Miranda Lambert's 'Velvet Rodeo' wardrobe stars in new DFW exhibition

“Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo” at National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame

Photo by Tyler Conrad

“Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo” will open on November 7 at the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame.

Country star Miranda Lambert is bringing a bit of Las Vegas glamour and bling to North Texas. Her one-of-a-kind wardrobe from her "Velvet Rodeo" residency will go on display at the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame in Fort Worth when its new Icons Gallery opens November 7.

According to a release, the exhibition, called "Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo," was created in collaboration with Lambert, and will feature costumes from the singer's Las Vegas residency, which ran from September 2022 to April 2024.

Lambert said her inspiration came from an earlier visit to the Fort Worth museum, where she spotted historic Western pieces that she photographed and sent to her stylist, Tiffany Gifford. They combined those influences with the glitz of Elvis Presley's heyday to create the "Velvet Rodeo" wardrobe.

“Seeing these pieces now have a life beyond the stage as part of the Museum’s new Icons Gallery feels really full circle and special,” Lambert said in a statement.

Visitors will now have the opportunity to study garments usually seen in motion and under stage lights, appreciating the details that help transform clothing into an essential part of a performance.

The Icons Gallery is part of the Museum’s 16,000-square-foot expansion, which introduces new galleries and experiences that explore the accomplishments and influence of women of the West. The $19 million expansion features a new entrance facing Dickies Arena, new galleries including a photography gallery, an event space accommodating up to 250, and the new Cowgirl Carousel.

Miranda Lambert, right, with rodeo queens onstage at the 45th Cowgirl Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon at Dickies Arena. Photo by Ashley Gongora

Lambert, who was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 2021, is an active mounted shooting competitor and horsewoman, giving her a connection to the West that reaches beyond her music. "Velvet Rodeo" brings together Lambert's identity as a cowgirl and her creative expression as a performer.

“Miranda’s confidence, determination and independence make her a wonderful representative of the women we honor,” says Pat Riley, executive director of the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame, in the release. “Opening our Icons Gallery with this collaboration celebrates her accomplishments while giving visitors a new way to connect with a cowgirl they know and admire.”

According to a museum spokesperson, the temporary exhibition will remain on display for at least one year; no specific end date was given.

In preparation for the expansion grand opening, the Cowgirl will be closed to the public beginning October 19 and will reopen November 7, with a members-only preview at 10 am and a public opening at noon.

celebrities country music exhibitions-visual-arts fashion miranda lambert museums music national cowgirl museum temporary exhibition