Photo courtest of Southern Lights

By now, you’ve heard of Southern Lights – the new public laser art installation over the river between the two bridges, lighting up every night over the next ~10 years + kicking off August 19 (a.k.a. the Saturday before the eclipse) – but how do people feel about it?

Major questions + concerns voiced during last week’s public feedback session ⬇️ (run by One Columbia’s Lee Snelgrove, What’s Next Midlands’ Laura Ros, laser designer Chris Robinson + Congaree Riverkeeper’s Bill Stangler):

❓ How will the lasers impact birds + other wildlife around the river?

✅ Birds see the lasers as solids and will fly around them. Plus: the lasers can be turned off to fix a problem.

❓ Can the lasers be turned off for a couple nights each week instead of keeping them on 365 days/year?

✅ Organizers will consider reducing the number of days per week the lasers are lit up – but the lasers work better the more they’re used; they’d not work as well when left off for a long time.

4 min read / Free Times