During the first week of February, Portland's waterfront will be transformed into a tapestry of illuminating color through the Portland Winter Light Festival.

The community is invited to gather around spectacular displays of lighting design and be dazzled by performances of puppetry, dance, and the environment itself. We at SRG are ecstatic about not only participating in the festival but the unique way in which it will engage the public in spaces designed for community interaction, but which aren't always used to their full potential during the winter months.

We asked Festival organizer Jeff Schnabel to share his thoughts about why this is such an important moment for design in Portland.

"From a design standpoint, nighttime is a frequently overlooked condition. A Light Festival is a wonderful way to bring creative illumination into the public realm in a temporary way, but it hopefully inspires us to also consider more permanent strategies for enriching our cities at night. A serious bonus is that in the dead of winter individuals have a reason to gather as a community to celebrate our shared interests in the arts."

Zach Eggemeyer