Chicago’s theMART Brings Art Through Digital Projections

Chicago’s street art is getting a digital upgrade. The Merchandise Mart, which sits on the Chicago river, is debuting “Art on the Mart,” a projection art display that will cost $8 Million to install, and $500,000 per year to operate. The project is being managed by Obscura Digital from San Francisco, who has guided temporary light projections on structures like the Empire State Building, the Vatican, and the Sydney Opera House.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced that he will soon introduce the necessary ordinance to operate the display to the City Council. “It brings two great strands of the city of Chicago [art and architecture] together. What we all know as the Merchandise Mart will now become the largest canvas in the world.”

Although the details are still being worked out, the project is currently planning to open in October.

“I’m very excited, particularly now that it’s becoming real. We have done a lot of renovations inside the building. We wanted to take the next step to the outside to call attention to the building and also give back to the city of Chicago,” says Mart COO Myron Maurer.