Dream Pants

by Bade-Schaffer

Jodi Bade
Maura Schaffer

In that twilight time between awake and asleep, I became aware of a flickering dream. Down along the banks of a forgotten creek, strange apparitions were calling to me. Pants, just pants, frolicked about. They laughed and whispered, “Hey, check it out!” They glowed with the light of a promise to tell, that soon this place will be happy and well. Thanks dream pants for sharing your secret! I’m so delighted! (I don’t think I can keep it.)

Enter the Dragonfly

by Odonata

Jake Rodgers
Jennifer Rodgers

Enter the Dragonfly envisions the ecological restoration and transformation of Waller Creek as a healthy habitat for a diversity of native life. Dragonflies are one of the oldest and most reliable indicator species of a thriving and stable aquatic ecosystem.

Enter the Dragonfly consists of larger-than-life metal dragonflies hovering above the creek waters, their reflections glowing beneath them. Using scale and light, the sculptures visually bring attention to the critical relationship between urban and natural environments while inspiring curiosity, excitement, and thoughtful engagement from the viewer with Waterloo Greenway’s mission.

GOOD~VIBRATIONS

by Studio 5-1-2

Connie Trinh
Anya Moucha
Cecley Hill
Michelle Bright

Installation Sponsor

Marian & Chris Casey

GOOD~VIBRATIONS is a celebration of the hidden landscapes that run beneath our feet and continue to shape our urban environment by bringing them to the surface. Inspired by stalagmite and stalactite formations within caves, this installation drips and oozes over Waller Creek to recreate a cavernous experience. Forms are covered with mirror pieces and spotlighted to scatter light in the spirit of a disco, set to the echoing sounds of dripping water and chirping bats (with some remixes in-between). We encourage attendees to celebrate subterranean landscapes with GOOD~VIBRATIONS by immersing themselves in an experience that employs lighting and sound to highlight rich interactions and the dance of life’s organisms.

Inventories

by Lawrence Group

Jeff Harris, AIA
Marco Cue
Kilpatrick Davidson
Nick Faust
Mohammed Kattan
Luma Jaffar, AIA
Alex Martinez
Leo Sanchez

Joseph Jones, late UT Professor and champion of Waller Creek, would spend his lunch hour walking the creek where it passed through campus, keeping an “inventory” of things seen and found – flora and fauna, along with beer cups and plastic bags – acknowledging the signs of human presence amidst the abundant natural beauty. For our installation, we are channeling our inner Joseph Jones and collecting hundreds of used plastic bottles directly from the creek and from other local sources, coating the inside with luminescent paint, and arranging them geometrically just above the surface of the water. We will then shine UV light across the tops to transform them into a field of glowing objects – a bright “inventory” of trash – highlighting the human contribution to the story of this wonderful “cretaceous limestone gutter.”

Portal Potty

by Salmo Gunn

Kristen Gunn
Laura Salmo

Like an urban wardrobe to Narnia, inside this magical corridor of porta potties is a seamless tunnel of disco lights and whimsy. Interior walls and all fixtures of the Portal Potties have been removed, creating a hallway illuminated by twinkling LED strips and panels, with an exit in the back that is not visible to outside viewers. Silhouettes of those who enter seem to disappear at the end of the tunnel, creating the illusion that entrants have been magically transported into Creek Show 2022. This installation is a smile and a wink to look past the surface of things and to find beauty in unexpected places.

tunnel vision!

by Hugh Jefferson Randolph Architects

Hugh Jefferson Randolph, AIA
Nina Unger
Michael Gamble
Geneva Sinkula
Tyler Rush
Chloe Ingram
Calder Randolph

Installation Sponsor

Tunnel Vision! is inspired by the massive 24’ diameter underground concrete Waller Creek Tunnel that runs from Waterloo Park to Lady Bird Lake. A series of concentric lighted rings focuses the viewer on the dome of the state Capitol, with an interactive light show.

LUNA

by Austin Foundation for Architecture

Gerardo Gandy, Assoc. AIA, NOMA
Stephanie D’Arienzo
Ximena Alayo-Reyes, Assoc. AIA
Laura Brodersen, AIA
James Mooney
Kyle Wilson

The dance between the moon and Earth’s bodies of water is one as old as time itself. From influencing tides along our seacoasts, to regulating precipitation feeding our inland rivers, invisible forces are at work right before our eyes. LUNA seeks to illuminate the invisible bonds between our environment and each other. With its mirrored materiality, the installation serves as a symbol for diversity and equity, while encouraging reflection on the idea that we all contribute to the future of our urban fabric. The infinity effect of the lights and the mirror creates a place for everyone and alludes to the endless possibilities we all represent to our city of Austin.

NeonCity

by AIA Austin

Ximena Alayo-Reyes, Assoc. AIA
Jessica Graham
Brianna De Leon, Assoc. AIA
Dani Williams
Charles Miles
Mandy Mandelstein
Metalworks Austin

NeonCity is an abstract representation of Austin’s downtown skyline on Waller Creek. The exhibition portrays the city’s colorful and vibrant energy that can be appreciated across Lady Bird Lake, watching the lights of downtown and its reflection in the water. As the city expands, these building blocks represent the growth and potential opportunities as Austin becomes an ever-evolving city that creates opportunities for more people to come together as a community.

Sirius

by National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) of Central Texas

Diego Schubb, NOMA
Joyce Kim, NOMA
Gregory Street, AIA, NOMA
Albert Condarco, NOMA
Sabrina Ortiz
Oscar Yanez, AIA, NOMA
Jefferson Yunez, NOMA

To be marginalized in America
is to be a star on the face of midnight.
We constantly have to rise above everything
and shine our brightest
When it’s dark outside. – Rudy Francisco

Sirius is a visual translation of the poem Margin by African-American spoken word poet Rudy Francisco. Francisco’s oeuvre confronts issues of race and politics, and in Margin, he expresses the diminishing feelings of marginalization through the beauty of celestial imagery. While emphasizing a star’s solidarity and comparing it to social exclusion, he challenges us to “shine our brightest” as an exemplar for social change.

Through a natural meander drawn from Waller Creek, NOMA’s Sirius breaks down the rigidity of the bridge’s infrastructure and guides users through a collection of star-laden vessels – a visual representation of the beauty and strength of marginalized communities. When we come together we shine brighter through the darkness.