Eness, an art and technology studio that has installed giant works of color-popping art structures in urban spaces around the world, is behind Atlanta’s latest immersive art exhibition opening in Woodruff Park on Feb. 13, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
The opening coincides with love day because the whimsical, inflated creatures featured in Eness’ installation, entitled “Stem by Stem — Alien Boy Gives Me Flowers,” hug gardens of flowers in their curved, multicolored arms. The creatures look vaguely like octopuses with only two arms, have adorable, illuminated bug eyes and skin covered in kimono-inspired patterns. As visitors move through the installation, the artwork reacts, triggering bursts of color, pulsating synth sounds and ambient bird calls.
Leading up to the installation’s opening are associated Valentine’s Day celebratory activities. Through Feb. 13, live music will be played in the park each day, from noon to 1:30 p.m. and visitors can profess their feelings at a love-note writing station from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Can’t find the right words to say? A writer will be posted at the station to help craft letters on postcards designed by local artists Paige Adair, Albert Lebron and Estela Semeco. On Feb. 13, flowers will be given away from noon to 2 p.m.
Credit: Gavin Jowitt
Credit: Gavin Jowitt
“Stem by Stem — Alien Boy Gives Me Flowers” is the latest installation in a series of immersive art exhibits that have opened in Woodruff Park since mid-2024 when Art in the Park programming was launched. The initiative was led by the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District and Arts & Entertainment Atlanta.
The initiative has been credited with increasing visitor numbers to Woodruff Park as much as 71% in some cases, as compared to average attendance in prior years, Woodruff officials said.
“The numbers show the program’s growing influence in making Woodruff Park a destination,” Noa Hecht, creative placemaking lead for the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District which helped start the Art in the Park initiative, said in a previous interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I think seeing the amount of people that are using the park now, and coming in and feeling more comfortable, is definitely helping push that (message) forward that public art makes a big difference in the way people engage with space.”
“Stem by Stem — Alien Boy Gives Me Flowers” will be open during normal park hours in Woodruff Park until March 14.
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