Middle Harbor Shoreline ParkI write that note to myself about four times a year, and I forget every time, and every time I miss out on a key aspect of the Illuminated Corridor – “a collision of public art, music and film” that persistently crops up in different San Francisco Bay Area locations to work its site-specific magic.

On May 30th the Illuminated Corridor will manifest in Middle Harbor Shoreline Park, at 7th Street and Middle Harbor Road in West Oakland. The public is invited to show up between 7:00 and 9:30 p.m. to hear and admire sounds and visuals created by 30 artists inspired by Oakland’s history and habitat.  Organizers recommend early arrival (since park gates close when the parking lot is full) and layers of clothing against the unpredictable Bay breeze.

Oh, and why do I need an FM radio?  Because every Illuminated Corridor features live music especially for the FM airwaves.  On May 30th the name of the station is Port Radio featuring Zachary James Watkins mixing live input from musicians and sound artists Sean Clute, Phog Masheen, Biggi Vinkeloe, and Michael Zelner.

Other featured installations will be The Shallow Tide, by Cheryl E. Leonard and Rebecca Haseltine, in performance with Ann Dentel and Karen Stackpole; and Building 122, by Artists’ Television Access luminaries Gilbert Guerrero and Kathleen Quillian. Alfonso Alvarez, Keith Arnold and Kahlil Karn will team up with Steven Dye, Ian Winters and Evelyn Ficarra to offer Triangulation; and the Killer Banshees have knit together their newest tour-de-force, The Subtidal Goals.

Naturally you have questions!  Get answers to all of them by reading the Illuminated Corridor FAQ, and don’t forget your FM radio.

By Polly Moller

Polly Moller is a composer, performer, improviser, performance artist, and curator based in Oakland, California, USA. She practices a lot, writes many grant proposals, drinks a lot of mochas, and serves on the Board of Directors of Outsound Presents.