I frequently travel to Austin and love the creative spirit of the city. Austin is a truly unique and beautiful place to visit, a jewel in the heart of our state. One of Austin’s treasures is the large colony of Mexican Free-Tailed Bats under the Congress Street Bridge. I have seen their evening exodus and been moved by the number of people that visit the area each night. The nightly flights are certainly inspirational and a great draw to downtown Austin.
I have been inspired to create a nightly, site-specific, artistic display that would enhance and draw even more visitors to the bat viewing experience. I have often thought how great it would be to project a spotlight image of a bat on the Hyatt Regency or Radisson Hotel’s flat wall that faces the bridge just as the bats come flowing out from underneath. A dramatic musical theme would play over a loudspeaker at the same time; e.g., Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries”, announcing the emergence. The viewing audience would appreciate the convergence of nature and the artistic urban beauty of the Hyatt Regency, or the Radisson Hotel as the bats fly out over Ladybird Lake highlighted by the bat spotlight. The bat image is my original design, so no copyright problems.