DATMA’s LIGHT 2020 presents Vessels by MASARY Studios

Massachusetts Design Art and Technology Institute (DATMA), the contemporary art institute and its partners will kick off a city-wide, collaborative venture called “LIGHT 2020” from June through September 2020. DATMA’s free public art projects will examine New Bedford’s legacy as the “city that lit the world” with a lens through renewable energy. Each piece will be aimed to enlighten and inspire, will be observed while socially distancing in cars and bikes, and will not involve crowds or require going into a space. Vessels celebrates the vital role that the New Bedford fishing industry plays in the local and global economies. Three prominent downtown New Bedford buildings will be lit by internationally renowned MASARY Studios in large-scale, digital animation murals with audio components that spotlight the maritime industry - the heart of the region’s economy.  Vessels will celebrate the innovations that have come out of the area as well as champion the men and women who have dedicated their lives to the industry. Placing the vessels inland is a part of the conversation between, vessel, navigation, character, and the embedded fishing community of New Bedford. These ideas and culture not only live on the pier but in homes, conversations, and interactions in town. This artwork is an exploration of the vessels and the voices, lines, and roles in the fishing story. The captains, crew, provisions, gear, ice and of course the fish - all orbit around these mechanical centerpieces of the lives of the fishermen. The three large-scale video artwork murals will be installed on three different buildings along Union Street in downtown New Bedford from June 21 until July 19, 2020 daily after sunset.