Architecture

On Great Day Houston: Downtown’s Main Street Square is stepping up its art game

By this point, most Houstonians have experienced the larger-than-life art installations at Main Street Square in downtown Houston as part of Art Blocks.

These four colorful, interactive pieces— Color Jam Houston by Jessica Stockholder, Trumpet Flower by Patrick Renner and Flying Carpet collective, más que la cara by YesYesNo and Lightnin’ Field by Jamal Cyrus (the latter as part of the Main Street Marquee) — are bringing smiles to faces of all ages. And for those of you that do not live in Houston, don’t fret. The installations will remain on view until Super Bowl 2017 and are totally worth the stroll downtown to see.

Angie Bertinot, Downtown District’s marketing director said in an interview on Great Day Houston, “We even had the mayor here last week [for Art Blocks: The Big Bash], and he said ‘the color is awesome! We need more of this.’”

Each piece has its own unique twist to engage and immerse passersby. Color Jam Houston spreads across the street and up the walls, so visitors become a part of the art. Trumpet Flower has neon orange tables and chairs set up underneath for people to hangout, enjoy a coffee break or host an impromptu meeting. Más que la cara uses computer technology to juxtapose masks on live projections of those who interact with the facial recognition software.

The goal of the temporary art installations — the inaugural project of the Downtown Houston District Public Art Committee with support from the Weingarten Art Group — is to enliven Main Street Square and provide people with a unique Houston experience.

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Link to Art Blocks Houston website: http://www.artblockshouston.org (http://www.artblockshouston.org/)

Link to video: http://www.khou.com/entertainment/television/programs/great-day-houston/art-blocks-downtown/147062448