CHICAGO, June 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Navy Pier, Chicago’s mission-driven cultural district, in partnership with EXPO CHICAGO, the International Exposition of Modern & Contemporary Art, is ringing in the summer in a truly artistic fashion. The popular lakefront destination will host a free Summer Solstice celebration on Wednesday, June 21, complete with live musical performances and the debut of a new temporary public art installation as a part of EXPO CHICAGO’s IN/SITU Outside program. The formal summer kick-off celebration is part of Navy Pier’s ongoing commitment to offer guests free, one-of-a-kind arts and cultural programming, designed to inspire, educate and connect communities across the city and globe.
Starting at noon, the Pier will activate the public art installation, “A retrospective view of the pathway” by Roger Hiorns – courtesy of Luhring Augustine, New York – in Polk Bros Park. The interactive piece is comprised of large-scale stainless steel tanks, a compressor, and foam, presenting the idea of continuous change in a joyous and ebullient manner. Every day at noon and 4 p.m., the sculpture will produce giant foam clusters, which will be shaped by the wind and spread across the landscape. In this way, the artist engages with the surroundings and blurs the lines between where the city begins and the art ends. The installation will be on view through EXPO CHICAGO (September 13 – 17, 2017).
The unique art piece is the creation of London-based Hiorns, who is known for exploring the shifting states of being in his sculptures and installations through the use of organic material, such as foam or copper sulfate, which spontaneously grows bright blue crystals. Such materials allow for generative growth outside of the hand of the artist and for his objects to inhabit interstices between temporality and permanence. The public is welcome to engage with the interactive installation, with the foam becoming the connective tissue between the individual and the artwork.
“In keeping with Chicago’s culturally rich and distinguished arts scene, Navy Pier is proud to team up with its longstanding partner, EXPO CHICAGO, to curate this unique, interactive and imaginative work of art exclusively for our guests to enjoy,” said Navy Pier Chief Programming and Civic Engagement Officer Michelle T. Boone. “We invite the community to engage with Roger Hiorns’ ‘A retrospective view of the pathway’ and stay for the day-long festivities as we formally kick off the summer at the reimagined Pier. The celebration will continue all season long as we introduce more similar projects and collaborations, furthering the Pier’s programmatic vision and organizational mission of inspiring discovery and wonder.”
“A retrospective view of the pathway” is the second public piece to visit Navy Pier as part of Chicago’s Year of Public Art, following the success of “Impulse” earlier this spring. The installation is presented in collaboration with EXPO CHICAGO, and is a part of IN/SITU Outside, a citywide initiative that provides the opportunity for EXPO CHICAGO exhibitors to present temporary public art installations situated along the lakefront and throughout Chicago neighborhoods. In addition to Navy Pier, IN/SITU Outside partnerships include the Chicago Park District (CPD) and the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE).
“Siting internationally renowned artwork by artists, such as Roger Hiorns speaks to the true collaboration between EXPO CHICAGO and Navy Pier,” said EXPO CHICAGO President | Director Tony Karman. “Navy Pier has a long history of working with the art exposition and presenting large scale sculptures. We are grateful to Michelle Boone, her team and all at Navy Pier for recognizing the importance of presenting this work as a part of our IN/SITU Outside program. We are also grateful to one of our participating galleries, Luhring Augustine (New York), for working closely with all of us to make this happen.”
Also as part of the Summer Solstice celebration, Navy Pier will feature a talented lineup of local performers throughout the day, beginning with Wiggleworms at 10 a.m. at the Wave Wall, the grand staircase on the South Dock leading up to the Centennial Wheel in Pier Park. Wiggleworms, presented in partnership with the Old Town School of Folk Music, is part of an ongoing children’s music series offered every Wednesday and Friday morning at Navy Pier.
At 2 p.m., the Pier will kick off a full afternoon of live music as part of the annual Make Music Chicago festival, starting with Yuri Lane, the human beat box, at the Wave Wall. Known internationally for pioneering the beat box harmonica, Lane will perform an imaginative freestyle along the lakefront, infusing the genres of blues and hip-hop. At 3 p.m., 13-year-old Chicago-based piano prodigy Joshua Mhoon, who has played for classical music superstars YoYo Ma and Lang Lang, will offer a moving, must-see performance at the Wave Wall.
Make Music Chicago will continue in Polk Bros Park at 4 p.m. with the Four Star Brass Band, a professional Chicago-based, New Orleans-style brass band. Following its performances in the park, the band will lead guests and musicians in a second line procession down the South Dock at 5:30 p.m.
Guests can then make their way to the Miller Lite Beer Garden for Live on the Lake!, Navy Pier’s free live music and dance series offered every Wednesday through Sunday from Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Weekend. On June 21, music lovers can enjoy the soothing sounds of 2017 Blues Music Award nominee Guy King and Vino Louden as part of the program’s Wednesday evening blues series, presented in collaboration with Buddy Guy’s Legends. The day’s festivities will conclude with a viewing of Aon Summer Fireworks, Navy Pier’s signature lakefront firework show offered every Wednesday and Saturday at 9:30 p.m. and 10:15 p.m., respectively.
The Summer Solstice celebration is just one of the many examples of Navy Pier’s commitment to raising its profile as a mission-driven cultural organization, with continued focus on offering dynamic and eclectic experiences through partnerships and programs. As the Fifth Third Bank Centennial Celebration continues in 2017, the Pier looks forward to introducing more exciting and innovative year-round programming for guests to experience and enjoy for free. For more information on this and other special offerings at the Pier, please visit www.navypier.com.
PHOTOS:
A retrospective view of the pathway
CREDIT: Roger Hiorns, A retrospective view of the pathway, 2008-2017; © Roger Hiorns; Courtesy the artist and Luhring Augustine, New York.
About EXPO CHICAGO
EXPO CHICAGO/2017, The International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art, is presented by Art Expositions, LLC at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, hosting more than 135 leading International exhibitors presented alongside one of the highest quality platforms for global contemporary art and culture. Now in its sixth year as a leading international art fair, EXPO CHICAGO (Sept. 13–17, 2017) offers diverse programming including /Dialogues, IN/SITU, IN/SITU Outside, EXPO VIDEO, the Curatorial Forum, the Art Critics Forum, Special Exhibitions, EXPO Projects and OVERRIDE | A Billboard Project. In addition, EXPO CHICAGO continues to publish THE SEEN, Chicago's International Journal of Contemporary & Modern Art. Under the leadership of President and Director Tony Karman, EXPO CHICAGO draws upon the city’s rich history as a vibrant international cultural destination, while highlighting the region’s contemporary arts community and inspiring its collector base. In 2017, EXPO CHICAGO and the Chicago Architecture Biennial (September 16–January 7, 2018) will align, establishing the city as a preeminent destination for global contemporary art and architecture, intersecting across a wide variety of programs including panels, international residencies, exhibitions and citywide events. In addition, EXPO CHICAGO partners with the Palais de Tokyo in Paris for its first U.S. satellite exhibition to kick off EXPO CHICAGO (September 12) at the Roundhouse at the DuSable Museum of African American History.
Vernissage, the opening night preview benefiting the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, takes place Wednesday, Sept 13, 6–9 p.m. General Admission to the exposition is Thursday, Sept. 14–Sunday, Sept. 17 (for hours please visit expochicago.com). Tickets to the exposition will go on sale in June 2017. Northern Trust is the Presenting Sponsor of EXPO CHICAGO. For more information about EXPO CHICAGO and EXPO ART WEEK (Monday Sept. 11–Sunday Sept. 17), visit expochicago.com.
About Roger Hiorns
Born in 1975 in Birmingham, England, Hiorns has been featured in a number of exhibitions at institutions throughout Europe and the Americas, including the 55th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy; MoMA PS1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, NY; Tate Modern, London, England; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN; and De Hallen, Haarlem, The Netherlands. Hiorns’ work is included in such institutional collections as the Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; Art Institute of Chicago, IL; and Tate Modern, London, England. A similar version of A retrospective view of the pathway is in the permanent collection of The Contemporary Austin, Texas. In 2009, Hiorns was nominated for the Turner Prize for his critically acclaimed work, Seizure, a massive crystallization within the interior of a bedsit in a condemned South London council estate. In 2011, Seizure was acquired by the Arts Council Collection and is currently on a ten-year loan for exhibition at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Yorkshire, England. Hiorns has recently had solo exhibitions at Centre PasquArt, Biel, Switzerland; Galerie Rudolfinum, Prague, Czech Republic; and Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, England.
Navy Pier Mission Statement
Navy Pier is the People’s Pier, Chicago’s lakefront treasure, welcoming all and offering dynamic and eclectic experiences through partnerships and programs that inspire discovery and wonder.
About Navy Pier
Located on Lake Michigan, Navy Pier is one of the top-attended nonprofit cultural destinations in the Midwest, stretching more than six city blocks and welcoming more than nine million guests annually. Originally opened in 1916 as a shipping and recreation facility, this Chicago landmark showcases more than 50 acres of parks, restaurants, attractions, retail shops, sightseeing and dining cruise boats, exposition facilities and more. In 2017, Navy Pier continues to celebrate its centennial with a series of special events and programming, year-round rides on the Centennial Wheel and ongoing pier-wide redevelopment efforts as part of the Centennial Vision. Navy Pier, as a nonprofit organization, maintains and manages the 50-acre pier that is being redeveloped as a contemporary, environmentally responsible urban space. More information is available at www.navypier.com.
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