The free, 10-night event features large-scale public artworks created by artists from around the world alongside live music and dance performances, creative workshops, educational tours and activities, food trucks, a mini film festival and a beer and wine garden.
This year, in addition to the event’s perennial focus on interactivity, sustainability and the union of water, art and light, the theme is Reflections.
Jennifer Gill, deputy director of Canal Convergence, said in a press release that the theme delves into the multifaceted nature of reflection — from its fundamental role in how we physically see the world around us to its insightful psychological implications.
“Through captivating artworks like this year's featured suspended art installation, ‘Molecules’ by The Urban Conga, we invite attendees to explore the transformative power of reflection in shaping their perceptions and understanding of the world,” she said.
“Molecules” by The Urban Conga, a Brooklyn, New York-based, award-winning, multidisciplinary design studio focused on sparking community interaction and social activity, will be suspended above the Arizona Canal as a series of broken-down water molecules. In marked locations, the lighting within the molecules can be controlled by the volume of people’s voices. This interaction encourages viewers to engage with the artwork by creating different sounds that would then illuminate the work in unique ways.
The Urban Conga founder and creative director Ryan Swanson said in the press release that “Molecules” uses physical, playful reflection to spark an internal self-reflective consciousness to process the impact we have on the world around us.
“We are excited for the public to not only engage with the work but also to use the work to connect with one another and the surrounding landscape in new ways,” Swanson said. “’Molecules’ provides a platform for communal connection through creating open-ended playful opportunities along the canal. We are excited for people to use the work as a moment of self-reflection to think about how much our individual selves can directly impact others and our surrounding environment.”
Attendees enjoy a piece called "Floatus" at a previous Canal Convergence Festival.
Walter Productions
The Canal Convergence Mini Film Festival, which debuted in 2023, will also return to the event on Nov. 15 and 16 with selections that align with the 2024 theme. This series will screen short films that explore the concept of physical and psychological reflections and address Canal Convergence's annual themes.
"The Canal Convergence Mini Film Fest is really an opportunity to broaden not only the spectrum of art we feature at the event each year but also what art looks like for us beyond the context of physical artwork,” Kiara Brown, event coordinator for Canal Convergence, said in the press release. “Filmgoers can expect to experience a variety of short films ranging from comedy to romance to animation and everything else in between."
Full details about musical performers, tours, art installations, workshops, vendors and more will be released in the coming months. See the Canal Convergence website to keep up to date.
