PHOTOS: Highlights from Detroit Month of Design and DLECTRICITY

Detroit was on full display this week, with the Detroit Month of Design heading into its final week and the light-based art and technology show DLECTRICITY ​​featuring this weekend. Model D’s Valaurian Waller was there to capture some of the coolest designs and innovative displays. 

At Lawrence Technological University, “Sneaker House” showcases three installations that celebrate sneaker culture. The activation, presented by Foot Locker, included “Sneaker Eater” by Elizabeth Stone and We are Culture Creators. 

“1985”, pictured above, by Darryl Blanding (Clean Sneaker Care) and Rolin Pettway and “Net Worth”, pictured below, by Jenna VanFleteren were other displays in Sneaker House.

Over on Dequindre Cut Greenway Trail, “Breath of Fresh Chair” by Ghafari repurposes the frames of 48 Eames chairs (a design icon themselves) to create a composition that engages observers in conversations around sustainability and adaptive reuse. 

Garden Novella, on the Northwest corner of Vernor and Clark Street, weaves together recorded stories from Southwest residents to serve as a guide through sun powered lanterns and hanging gardens. Designed by Other Work, the display aims to connect generations and explore the process of translation in a bilingual community. 

After dark this weekend, DLECTRICITY lit up Detroit with an outdoor visual celebration. Produced by Midtown Detroit Inc, the display took place in Detroit’s Cultural Center and DTE’s Beacon Park, where attendees explored installations of video art, new media, lasers, and interactive design and engineering.

“Illuminated Balloon Heads”, by Berlin-based artist collective Mentalgassi, were a highlight for visitors. The temporary monuments portrayed a cross-section of Detroit citizens on 10-feet tall balloon photographs and were illuminated from within. 

Crowds enjoyed “The Sidewalk Ballet AKA The Arkestral Procession” from Jake Chidester and Alisyn Malek of Corktown Studios, a novel series of mechanical archways that amplify a visitor’s movements into light and sound.

Visitors pose in front of “Pulsar” by Patrick Ethan. Ethen used hand-wired LEDs and generative code to create an abstract and mesmorizing version of a pulsar (a star that emits beams of radiation from its magnetic poles).

Jake Fried’s hand-drawn animations, titled “Night Vision”, “Mind Frame” and “Brain Wave”, made with ink and white-out, captured viewers’ attention.