Canal Convergence art event returns to Scottsdale Waterfront

A unique and free art event, Canal Convergence, returns to the Scottsdale Waterfront now through Nov. 10. Large-scale public artwork, created by local, national and international artists, will illuminate the waterfront each night. 

The outdoor, immersive event includes large-scale, light-based art as well as educational workshops, family-friendly activities, art tours, live music and dance performances, a beer and wine garden, food trucks and more.

The event will take place at the Scottsdale Waterfront, in and above the Arizona Canal and along the pedestrian pathways and bridges between Scottsdale Road and Goldwater Boulevard.Hours are 6 to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 6-9 p.m. every other night of the week.

In addition to the event’s perennial focus on the union of water, art and light, interactivity and sustainability, this year’s featured theme is “The Power of Play.”

“Since play is often associated with games, fun and childhood, acts of play can sometimes be dismissed as trivial or inconsequential,” said Jennifer Gill, deputy director of Canal Convergence. “However, play also taps into humanity’s most basic instincts to facilitate learning, growth and social engagement. For this year’s Canal Convergence, we wanted to highlight this vital part of the human experience through an equally important part of human development and social engagement: Art.”

With interactivity being one of the enduring themes of the event, acts of play have always had a significant role in Canal Convergence. For 2023’s event, Gill challenged artists to propose engaging and immersive public artworks that speak to play and acts of play’s importance in people’s lives. By harnessing the power of play through public art, artists have the opportunity to inspire and create meaningful experiences that reveal play’s true power.

“Another beneficial result of play is its unique ability to unite people across all ages, genders and cultures through shared experience,” Gill said. “As a part of the art selection process, we sought installations that could be enjoyed as an individual, with friends and family and together with total strangers.”  

Among the 2023 artworks will be “DICE” by Iregular, a Montreal-based digital art studio that creates with a focus on interactive and immersive experiences. “DICE” is a large-scale interactive sculpture consisting of five white cubes floating above the Arizona Canal. This five-part experience invites viewers to play with their own shadows, which react to their movements with different shapes, colors and patterns that change with each cube.

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