Rebeca Mendez brings her film, CircumSolar, Migration 1 to Glow

Tomorrow night, keep an eye out for a westward migration, as culture vultures flock to Glow, the dusk-till-dawn exhibit of immersive public art installations where the sea meets the sand in Santa Monica.

Those who do make it to the Burning Man-on-the-beach all-nighter will be poised to witness an extraordinary feat of long-distance migration on the 25-foot circular screen displaying CircumSolar, Migration 1, Rebeca Mendez‘ (GRAPHIC DESIGN’84; GRAD ART ’96 ) film which captures a small sea bird’s annual journey from the Arctic to Antarctic and back again.

Mendez, who was selected to be Glow’s first ever artist-in-residence, spent two months in Iceland documenting the bird’s behavior and breeding habits during its brief period on land between long flights. The animating idea behind this project, according to Mendez’ website was “to create work that emerges from the experience of the physical encounter with the natural forces that govern the planet in order to better understand one’s place within it.”

For those who have yet to feel the Glow, here’s how the event’s organizers describe the experience: Glow, the first all-night arts event in the United States to emphasize the commissioning of new work, will transform the beach in Santa Monica on September 28, 2013 into a world of interactive and engaging contemporary art. Every three years, for just one night, Glow features an extraordinary array of original, site-specific installations by local and international artists. Ranging from the haunting traditional music of the Javanese Gamelan to the most technologically advanced interactive artworks, Glow celebrates the exceptional ability of artists to activate and shape public space. Fifteen site-specific installations will re-shape the beach, Pier and downtown Santa Monica. Produced by the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Foundation, Glow is entirely free to the public through major funding from partners and donors including the Bloomberg Philanthropies, Metabolic Studio, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Glow’s website www.glowsantamonica.org provides valuable information on the art, artists and logistics of making a visit easy and enjoyable, including an audio guide to all the installations.

For click here for this year’s Glow lineup and interviews with participating artists.