The Opening Ceremony of S.F.’s Largest Art Installation ‘The Bay Lights’

Finally, the much-talked about new art installation taking over the Bay Bridge is having its official premiere tonight. The Bay Lights installation, conceived by artist Leo Villareal, is made up of 25,000 individually programmed LEDs hung across the bridge, stretching 1.8 miles across the water.

The light patterns are loosely based on nature’s algorithms, especially the environment around the Bay Bridge: the wildlife, the weather, the ocean currents.

“I’m not literally using any sensors or making scientific visualizations,” Villareal, a board member of the Burning Man Project, told BuzzFeed. “If you want to think of it from a technology perspective, as the artist, I am the sensor.”

The $8 million project was individually funded by the Bay Area’s tech community, which make ”seemingly impossible things happen on daily basis.” Villareal hopes the project becomes more than a showy display of technological prowess. Like any other work of public art, he wants these lights to start a conversation.

“The Bay Lights becomes almost a digital campfire that people can gather around,” he said. “Suddenly you are talking to people you wouldn’t have before. It is building community.”

If you want to gather around this digital campfire tonight for its opening ceremony, check out 7×7′s guide of nearby restaurants and watering holes with good views of the Bay Bridge. The Embarcadero is certain to be swamped, perhaps try venturing out to Treasure Island?

How a Gay Love Story Went Viral

The video is universal. The fight for equality is happening all over the world, as people in same-sex relationships try to prove their relationships are as valid and deserving as the rest of those in our various societies. Further, the video is simple and has a message most people can connect with — gay or straight.

Paul McKay, spokesperson for GetUp!, opened up to The Advocate to explain why his organization’s video has reached such popularity all over the world.

With nearly 3 million views on YouTube, the heartwarming It’s Time video is quite possibly the “most-watched gay marriage ad of all time.” Part of the video’s charm is perhaps because it follows recent research that suggests people are more likely to support same-sex marriage if viewed in similar terms.

According to Third Way, depictions of gay marriage as a “public promise of lifetime commitment” as supposed to a list of legal rights and benefits are more likely to get support. After all, marriage goes beyond just joint taxes. To get a better sense of that, watch the GetUp!’s video.

BOY TOYS TALK BACK: Why do you think this video has melted  the hearts of so many? And doesn’t the “dreamy husband” eerily resemble Jasson?