Creek Show 2024 Celebrates a Decade of Artistic Innovation in Austin

Each November, we eagerly anticipate an evening stroll along downtown Austin’s Waller Creek to experience the captivating light-based art installations curated by Waterloo Greenway during the annual Creek Show. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the beloved event, celebrating a decade of creativity, innovation, and community. To honor this milestone, past artists and designers have been invited back to create a new series of immersive installations along the waterway. The exhibition will be open to the public from November 8-16, running nightly from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Creek Show Offers an Exciting Opportunity for Austin-based Artists

In collaboration with AIA Austin, Waterloo Greenway annually commissions site-specific work by Austin-based artists, architects, designers, and landscape architects. Each year, artists explore different themes related to Waller Creek that range from history to hydrology and beyond. A committee comprised of artists, local leaders, and Creek Show enthusiasts gather to evaluate the art submissions. They choose works based on their concept and individual merit, evaluated to create a comprehensive exhibition.

Live Music, Food & More Activities at Creek Show

As in recent years, the Creek Show also includes many free activities each night at Waterloo Park. You can look forward to live music, hands-on experiences for kids, and food and beverage offerings.

An online reservation will be required to attend Creek Show. Some nights offer free entry and some carry a low cost for tickets with proceeds going to Waterloo Greenway, an initiative dedicated to developing and preserving a 35-acre urban park in collaboration with the City of Austin. Reservations and tickets are available on their website.

Creek Show 2024 Installations

This year, as the community commemorates a decade of the cherished Creek Show, we can look forward to five exciting new installations. “Over the past decade, this unique installation series has captivated the imaginations of architects, landscape architects, and artists, drawing hundreds of thousands of Austinites and visitors to experience the magic of Waterloo Greenway. Creek Show has not only illuminated our cityscape but has also shone a spotlight on the vital restoration and revitalization efforts of Waller Creek, fostering a deeper connection to our urban parks and their ecological importance,” AIA Austin Executive Director and Creek Show Artistic Director Ingrid Spencer notes.

The following installations and artist teams were selected for 2024:

“Alluvial” by Plume Design Lab, led by Clay Odom and Kory Bieg, fabricated by Andalusia Design

Artist Statement: “Alluvial” references water flowing over land and registers the impacts generated by a confluence of layers, surfaces, and finishes engaging in the physical, cultural, and environmental contexts around it. It is a line transformed by its surroundings. These influences add definition to the line by introducing spatial and formal eddies, ripples, and surface graphics. To realize ‘Alluvial,’ we are creating a network of 3D tiles made of laser-cut, light gauge folded steel. The tiles are assembled into a perforated 3D surface that responds to and challenges the simplicity of the overall form. Lighting is integrated behind the perforated surface causing a diffuse and veiled effect, countering the sharp lines of the metal form.

“The Ghost Boat: Through the Looking Glass” by Daniela Valle, Lindsay Abati, AIA, and Johanna Spencer, AIA, fabricated by Weston Montgomery

Artist Statement: Once Upon a Time….an Austinite, traveler of waters, got lost in the beauty of the creek and went missing. To this day, nobody knows their whereabouts, but on a quiet misty morning, you can hear the sound of paddles dipping into the water and a ghostly glow in the distance. Five years have passed and The Ghost Boat has reached her final resting place. She has crossed the threshold of space and time and exists in a realm of infinite dimension. 

“Night Watch” by Legge Lewis Legge, Britt Moseley, and Level on the Level

Artist Statement: Oversized eyes float in the darkness beneath the 12th Street Bridge. The eyes move, scanning their surroundings, and at times, they stare directly at you. Whose eyes are they? As visitors approach the Creek Show, they will see these monstrous eyes watching from under the bridge. Walking between them, the eyes become a threshold, guiding you into the rest of the Creek Show experience.

“Shadows of Former Self” by Jules Buck Jones

Artist Statement: Millions of years ago, Central Texas was a shallow sea and it’s evident in the fossil-stippled-limestone all around the city. Extinct animals and plants are endowed with a unique presence. They were alive once. They are now gone forever, but they still exist in the form of fossils, a cast of their former self. Originally titled, Invisible and Absolute; the updated title plays on this dichotomy of legacy and impermanence

“Waller Creek High: A School for Extraordinary Fish” by Polis, led by Daniel Goodwin and Bruce Wilcoxon

Artist Statement: ‘Waller Creek High, A School for Extraordinary Fish’, plays on the lore started by Ambedo Beta in Creek Show 2018, where Creek Monster scientists found a way to convert human speech to the language of light. The installation is composed of injection molded fish sculptures made of recycled materials that swoop over the creek to mimic the form of a school. Vibrant, touch-activated fish act as interactive nodes that send pulses of color through the school. To avoid waste, the individual luminaries will be available for purchase during and after the Creek Show, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Waterloo Greenway Conservancy.

Learn more at waterloogreenway.org/creek-show.