New installation to brighten Mellon Square for Light Up Night in Pittsburgh | TribLIVE.com

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A new light installation will launch in Pittsburgh’s Mellon Square just in time for the holiday season.

Titled “Aurora: Illuminating the Holiday Magic of Mellon Square,” the installation was created by Pittsburgh-based artist Joshua Challen Ice, and it will debut on Nov. 23 for Light Up Night in the city.

James Snow, vice president and chief administrative officer at Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, said the idea was created over the summer.

“We wanted to really bring that magic of the holidays and just light in the park,” he said. “With all of the energy and activity downtown, we wanted to activate Mellon Square in a way that brought it into the holiday season.”

“Aurora” will feature hundreds of diamond-shaped panels that shift in color as they catch the breeze or are touched, according to the Conservancy, which partnered with the artist and public art specialists at the nonprofit Shiftworks.

“Arranged in an argyle pattern, these panels echo the terrazzo design of the park’s ground, as though the iconic diamonds have come to life, lifting off and floating in the air,” the Conservancy said on its website.

At its peak, the installation will reach more than 25 feet in the air, and as seen in the renderings from Ice, “Aurora” will stretch over the central fountain and weave through trees and gathering spaces in Mellon Square.

Snow said he hopes “Aurora” becomes an annual tradition in the park.

“The installation is reusable — extremely sustainable,” he said.

While the installation is up, Mellon Square will have performances, activities and programs available, including hot cocoa, which can be enjoyed in heated igloos.

The new light installation is financially supported by The Benter Foundation and Eden Hall Foundation, according to Snow.

“We just hope that this is another activity and site that families and visitors to downtown will add to their trip into downtown, and just to the general enjoyment of the holiday season,” he said.

Megan Swift is a TribLive reporter covering trending news in Western Pennsylvania. A Murrysville native, she joined the Trib full time in 2023 after serving as editor-in-chief of The Daily Collegian at Penn State. She previously worked as a Jim Borden Scholarship intern at the Trib for three summers. She can be reached at [email protected].

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