(photo by File Photo)
SM PIER — Get ready for a quieter, tamer Glow.
Instead of the all night music at the Santa Monica Pier that turned the inaugural event in 2008 into a dance party, this year’s Glow will take place without DJs and will shut down earlier, at 3 a.m. instead of 7 a.m.
“It’s not a party, it’s not a rave, it’s not a festival. It’s a whole night art experience,” said Allison Ostrovsky, City Hall’s cultural affairs supervisor. “It’s about experiencing art at a different time in a different way.”
Twenty outdoor exhibits by local and international artists will be on display at the beach, Palisades Park and the pier beginning at 7 p.m. Sept. 25 for the event that, according to organizers, “re-imagines Santa Monica Beach as a playground for thoughtful and participatory, temporary art.”
The changes to the exhibition, put on by the city of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Foundation, are in part because of a smaller budget — five fewer installations were commissioned this year — and in part because the first Glow was a bit more raucous than organizers had expected.
“It sort of had a rave feel,” Ostrovsky said. “We’re totally behind having a great time, but this really is about highlighting the artists and the installations.”
While there won’t be any music to dance to, local radio station KCRW, a major sponsor of the event, is supplying a podcast with information about the art installations and music themed to each one.
Many of the exhibits this year incorporate interactive elements, Ostrovsky said, and one consists of a group of wandering acoustic musicians.
“All of these pieces were created with the beach and nighttime in mind,” she said.
While some attendees at the free event may be disappointed with the calmer atmosphere this year, they’ll at least have more dining options to look forward to. Two food truck courts — one north of the pier and one south of it — will feed the masses, and participating restaurants will be serving Glow specials until 4 a.m.
And organizers are excited about the art that will be on display.
“It’s going to be amazing. The installations are going to be phenomenal,” Ostrovsky said.
For more Glow information, go to: www.santamonica.com/glow and www.glowsantamonica.org
nickt@www.smdp.com
