Alien invasion of Stone Arch?
By Cristof Traudes
July 8th, 2008
Here's something new: The Stone Arch Bridge, one of the more historical sites in our Downtown, looks like it's been taken over by giant alien pods — 25 eight-foot by eight-foot by eight-foot black, shiny cubes. They look kind of eery from afar, but their purpose is a lot less intimidating.
The glass and metal blocks are actually very large frames that feature blown-up "spectacular international action and adventure sports photography." So says a news release for the cubes, which form an exhibit dubbed Red Bull Illume. The hyper-active drink of choice for many energy addicts is the sponsor.
Starting Thursday night, they'll light up the sky over the Mississippi River for 10 days, showing off work by photographers from around the world, including places such as Australia, Switzerland, South Africa and the Czech Republic.
Sounds like a unique exhibit. But it hasn't been without its detractors — despite not even having started. That's because, for some, the issue runs a little too close to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board's murky rules on sponsorship, which have drawn ire from critics throughout the years. (The Board recently accepted a donation from Lowe's in exchange for several signs naming the hardware store chain as a contributor, to the chagrin of a number of constituents.) Park Board Commissioner Annie Young has said she's received a number of comments from people questioning Illume's purpose, whether it's too close to being an advertisement for Red Bull and whether it's proper use of park land. Jeremy Hanson, spokesman for Mayor R.T. Rybak, said the city has been hearing similar questions, why Red Bull is being allowed to advertise on the bridge.
Whether it's free advertising or not, one thing is for sure: As long as the cubes are up, it's a bit harder for cyclists to race across the bridge. And if it gets crowded, pedestrians are going to have to get to know each a bit better than they're used to.
Some questions to take away: Is this proper use of the Stone Arch Bridge? If not, where should the exhibition be put up instead? And are you going to check it out?
Learn more at redbullillume.com.
