Impossible Light

The San Francisco-Oakland Bay bridge stands in the shadow of the more celebrated Golden Gate bridge. It's a stripped-down structure meant to be useful, not a work of art. A few years ago, Ben Davis, an official on the city's "Illuminate the Arts" committee, came up with the idea for the "Bay Lights" project, which proposed bathing the bridge in a moving light show. This PBS-aired documentary from filmmaker Jeremy Ambers charts the course of the project from original idea and official proposal, through the installation and troubleshooting, and up to the final dedication in 2013. The scale of the project was huge, and so were the challenges, which involved working at great heights while also contending with the cold and wind. Artist Leo Villareal submitted the plan, and helped guide the process, although—as always—funding was a problem, involving a mix of public and private sponsorship (at one point, Davis even offered to put up the equity in his house to meet the goal). But the project's supposed "impossibility" would inspire people to make it possible, and San Francisco's famed atmospheric changes—played out in sky, fog, and water—turned the illuminated bridge into a dazzling beacon. The lights were initially slated to remain in place until 2015, but recent additional funding has extended its lifespan (incredibly, the electrical costs only amount to a few dollars a day). Although occasionally becoming bogged down in technical detail, Impossible Light should appeal to anyone interested in monumental public art. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)