Nighttime Urban Renewal

"Most artists would love to have their work described as 'spectacular.' Not Yann Kersalé. Even though his nighttime illuminations of public spaces are showstoppers, he sees them as invitations to stroll, not gawk. Darkness, he believes, is an opportunity to explore a world obscured by sunlight. His installations are meant to be walking tours of an otherwise invisible limbo. With a few strategically placed light sources (mostly, computer-programmed LED spots), he can transform the most ordinary-looking streets, bridges, buildings, industrial sites, gardens, and stores into dreamscapes; turn rigid facades into liquid surfaces; and reveal the delicate internal workings of massive infrastructure.

But unlike Olafur Eliasson or James Turrell, Kersalé is not part of the contemporary-art scene. His work is more akin to urban renewal: he wants to reclaim the night for the public, creating venues for residents to get together after working hours and opening up new neighborhoods where nocturnal sightseers can safely wander. Municipalities and local associations make up about one-third of his clients. 'I am not an electrician or a stage designer or a landscape consultant,' he says. 'I am a creative entity. My craft is to brighten up things after sunset.'"