Light Up the Night

“Your images do not comply with the rules,” said the email. We received it a day after we submitted our “Light Up the Night” proposal for transforming the experience of Monument Circle in Indianapolis at night. (That is not the first time we have heard that sort of response in our line of work) Yet, it was a fair, albeit ironic, response given the goal of the competition. Ideas for improving Monument Circle were solicited over the last few months through a website and an associated Wordpress blog. Top prize is $5,000. Sure, that would have been nice for a start-up, but we really just thought we had a good idea that could be incorporated into any other set of plans. It was a small gesture to make a point that we like Monument Circle as it is. We didn’t propose to add more water, take away cars, add retail space, or any other thing that people have proposed over the years.

Nevertheless, the competition asked for site plans and perspectives, assuming one would have big ideas that need many graphics to explain it. Something jumped out at us in the Competition Briefing Book. The responses to many of the questions posed by the researches included thoughts related to festivals, food, drink, lights and a respect for the significance of the space in Indiana’s history. This is the basis for “Light Up the Night.” You can see our submission below. Every competition has to have some rules. However, an idea is still an idea. We hope it can be incorporated into the winner’s plan for Monument Circle. Let us know what you think.