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Carrboro and Chapel Hill shimmer with art for second annual 'Art of Light' event

Carrboro hosted Shimmer, a one-night art exhibition centered around light, on Friday night.

Carrboro hosted Shimmer, a one-night art exhibition centered around light, on Friday night.

Downtown Chapel Hill and Carrboro turned into a luminescent art gallery Friday night.

Carrboro and Chapel Hill hosted the second annual Shimmer: The Art of Light, which used light projections and illuminated art installations to turn the streets into an interactive, irradiated event. 

The free one-night event started at the 300 Main St. business complex in Carrboro and extended into Chapel Hill, lasting from 6-10 p.m. 

Shimmer was a 2nd Friday ArtWalk, a series of opportunities for the community to experience the creative arts scene on the second Friday of every month in Chapel Hill and Carrboro.  

"We (come) every second week, but this week is a new theme they haven't done before," said Katie Vaughn, a UNC senior. 

The art at Shimmer encompassed various forms of light and unique mediums, including light projections on walls, window displays, interactive displays in which light settings and backgrounds changed in front of people on stationary bikes, a giant version of a Lite-Brite, a puppet display and many more expressions. 

"I'm really curious to see how new inventions and technology in acrylic medium can be used to create new forms of art," said Lien Truong, an artist at the event and a UNC art professor.

Truong had a display of Donald Trump as a golem made out of baking flour, which she designed using a toothpick. 

“I wanted to use my art as testament to politics and Christianity through depicting these famous icons created in society in a unique way," she said. 

Shimmer concentrated on bringing together locals from Carrboro and Chapel Hill by exhibiting the creativity both communities have to offer. This year, the event attracted people of all ages and facets of life, including families and students. 

Sasha Kanarski, a UNC graduate, said she came to the event to support her dad’s friend, who is an artist displaying his color-injected gel art. 

“The gel provides a cool medium as the art and colors transform over time and are never the same," Kanarski said. 

city@dailytarheel.com 

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