‘L.I.ghts’ shine on village landmarks

The Patchogue Arts Council’s (PAC) celebrated, annual village-encompassing interactive exhibit, MoCA Lights began on Thursday, Oct 22, with some of the light projection art continuing into December.

“This year, we have all seen the 250th anniversary of the USA’s independence, a quarter millennium of cultural evolution, technological innovation, scientific discovery, and so much more. As this time has marched on, the arts, too, have welcomed a progression of human expression from pigment and chisel to printing press and camera to electricity projection, and immersive light, which has guided our collective consciousness. In celebration of where our work has come from and where it will go next,” said Beth Giacummo, executive director of PAC.

Cultural partners for MoCA L.I.ghts included: the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce, the Village of Patchogue, Patchogue BID, Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, Pat-Med Library, Plaza Cinema, Crozier, Cornell Cooperative Suffolk County & Marine Department, Long Island Arts Alliance, MTA Art & Design, Friends of Lakeview Cemeteries, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, and Patchogue United Methodist Church.

One of the most anticipated displays, on Patchogue United Methodist Church on South Ocean Avenue remarkable 360 windows, was artist Jonathan Monaghan’s “ArchAngels.”

“ArchAngels transforms the historic façade of the Patchogue United Methodist Church into fantastical, living architecture. Centered on the church’s large rose window, the projection animates colorful wings onto the building. Creating a playful illusion of a celestial entity, the being travels through an evolving landscape, from a natural environment into a vibrant cityscape, suggesting a journey through time from antiquity to the digital age. Incorporating rainbow, eight-bit-inspired textures and imagery, the work also evokes the nostalgia of early digital culture and celebrates the technologies shaping contemporary culture,” said Giacummo.

Monaghan, based in Washington, D.C., is an artist whose prints, sculptures, and video installations explore technology in the digital age.

In collaboration with the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, a rotating series of artist-created videos, gifs, and animations turn the digital marquee into an alternative exhibition venue. The series of works curated for “Art on the Marquee” were selected from an international open call.

This is currently the only marquee exhibit on L.I. and is an original concept created for MoCA L.I.ghts by the PAC.