Morningside Lights Shines On Its 10th Anniversary

Upper West Side NY

03 November, 2021

12:38 PM

Description

Columbia Daily Spectator BY FERNANDA AGUERO NOVEMBER 2, 2021 In fall 2012, a crowd of Columbia and Morningside Heights residents marched down College Walk with a handmade luminous city. Glowing clock towers and architectural innovations shifted and weaved together as they bounced to the beat of composer Nathan Davis's soundscape. Themed "The Imagined City," the inaugural Morningside Lights procession welcomed 800 people to the community-driven lantern festival. Ten festivals later, Morningside Lights is now held virtually. Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles of the Processional Arts Workshop directed the festival, which is co-produced by the University's Arts Initiative and Miller Theatre. On Oct. 26, the project launched a video celebration for this year's show. This year's procession, "Play On!", takes its name from the opening line of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night": "If music be the food of love, play on." The theme also takes inspiration from Columbia professor Robert O'Meally's project that explores the way Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn reworked Shakespeare pieces into a suite of 12 of their own musical works. This year, organizers hoped that participants could repurpose Shakespeare's literary traditions in their own ways and come together to build something new. "In the face of adversity or hardship, or coming out of a pandemic, ["Play On!" shows] that we will come together, and we will play on," Melissa Smey, associate dean and executive director at the School of the Arts and Miller Theater, said. In past years, Kahn and Michanelles hosted in-person workshops for Columbia and Morningside Heights community members where they guided participants through the construction of their lanterns. Over the last two years, unable to host the workshops in person, the two have moved their lessons online, hosting workshops through Zoom and as pre-recorded video tutorials. While participants could previously find all materials in the in-person workshops, the pandemic has changed the distribution of materials. Two hundred lantern kits were handed out to members of the Columbia and Morningside Heights communities, providing them with all the materials needed to construct their lanterns. "It's been amazing seeing … the resilience of New Yorkers working in these tiny spaces and making these beautiful lanterns," Smey said. For this year's celebration, community members each selected a Shakespeare quote to incorporate into their lantern. The final video shows people of all ages, including friends and families, reciting the quotes which inspired their final projects and interpreting the lines in their own unique ways. Even though many of Shakespeare's classic quotes have graced the screen more than once—"To be, or not to be" seen on a butterfly lantern—most quotes were selected only once, showing a large variety of interpretations. "To sleep, perchance to dream" from Shakespeare's "Hamlet" was repurposed as "To sleep, purrrrchance to dream" with an illustration of a cat dreaming of mice. "If music be the food of love, play on,"—the quote this year's theme is based on—was joined by an illustration of an old boom box, shining in blue and purple hues. When Kahn and Michanelles could no longer see the people building the lanterns nor guide them, the two wondered how the project would be affected. But with the help of Friends of Morningside Park, the Morningside Lights community took over the project. Once they decided to move forward with a virtual format, they were able to work together despite any barriers. Smey, who was not on campus for the celebration of the first virtual ceremony, was elated to see how many people were celebrating in person despite the virtual format. Participants met along College Walk and Morningside Park to celebrate, and while walking around with a lantern, Smey found that several people knew of the project, asking her if it was Morningside Lights that night. "It makes me so happy to know the impact that we've had … you're one little raindrop on your own, but you come together with a bunch of other raindrops, and, you know, you can make a real impact," said Smey. Over the last couple of years, Morningside Lights has grown to become an important part of the Morningside Heights community. As new community partners join and new themes are dreamt up, the project continues to shine around Columbia. "Whether that's in moments of joy, or moments of sadness, or moments of hardship, the arts are a way to connect people," Smey said. "The project just starts to take on a life of its own once the community picks it up." Staff writer Fernanda Aguero can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow Spectator on Twitter @ColumbiaSpec. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.