Last weekend I went to the InLight light festival at Chimborazo park in the Churchill neighborhood downtown Richmond. Despite my prior ideas upon first reading the event, the shows did not consist of lasers and crazy light shows/short films. The InLight festival was founded in 2008 and continues to be run by 1708 Gallery. This free event featured, performances, sculptures, videos, and interactive projects which illuminated pathways, walls, sidewalks, etc.
The projects displayed this year highlighted the social and geographic history of Chimbarzoo park, which had previously been grounds for a Confederate military hospital during the Civil War. 1708 Gallery looked for artists to display their artistically interpretation respond and elaborate on the complex racial history. Personally my favorite exhibit was a short film using clips from different sports events and post-game interviews. A clip of Arthur Ashe particularly caught my eye as I have taken a class with professor Ashe here at Richmond and recognized the name.