Follow the Fort Point Rainbow

Image via Claudia Ravaschiere and Michael Moss

Fort Point just got a little bit more colorful.

On Thursday, members of the Fort Point Arts Community, a non-profit organization whose aim is to beautify the neighborhood by the harbor by sharing the work of local artists, oversaw the installation of a temporary public art piece called “Shimmer,” which casts a rainbow-like image onto the city’s sidewalks by using the refractive qualities of translucent Plexiglas fragments installed in the gaps of bridge railings.

“A combination of fluorescent and jewel-toned, small panels will be installed between the railings to catch the light of the water’s surface,” according to a statement from FPAC.

Dylan Hurwitz, an administrative assistant at FPAC, said the outdoor spectacle, located at the Harborwalk at Summer Street and along Congress Street, on the Downtown side, is the work of Claudia Ravaschiere and Mike Moss.

“[It] changes the public perception of a familiar urban environment. The piece is constructed to catch the natural and ambient light to create a luminous field of color and alternating hues. The visual impact of the ‘Shimmer’ will change as the light changes throughout the day,” said Ravaschiere in a statement sent to Boston.

Ravaschiere and Moss are known for other outdoor works such as their “Chiming Benches,” which turned sitting down into a musical experience, and “Color Quark,” which turned trees in Fort Point into colorful, scientific-looking experiments.

The Plexiglas pieces were installed in conjunction with the annual “Summer on the Waterfront” program and Seaport Week, which runs from August 21 to 27, and is organized by The Boston Harbor Association. The program is meant to get more people out in the Fort Point neighborhood to truly enjoy the harbor side scenery before the cold weather comes back to Boston.

“Shimmer” builds on the FPAC’s mission to show off local talent and bring a different look to the area. Back in April, the group helped install dozens of small palm trees in the waters surrounding the neighborhood, creating a temporary stay-cation of sorts to help pedestrians passing through feel as though they were on a tropical island.

The floating artwork, called “Tropical Fort Point,” created by designer Peter Agoos, was also meant to bring attention to the lack of “quality” open space in the Fort Point Channel, while highlighting the importance of conversations about climate change and the environment.

That installation, made possible through a partnership between the artist, FPAC, and the Friends of Fort Point Channel, stayed up through the month of June.