Thank you to all who came out and enjoyed our 2013 Level preview! The event was a great success, and everyone at LERATA is excited and preparing for the full 2016 Level presentation. For images and videos, please visit us on Facebook. Be sure to ‘like’ our Facebook page as we continue to expand this and other events, you will be ensured to receive our updates.



The RFP for 2016 will be available by late Spring 2016.

Level 2016 will be held September 15 – 24, 2016. Sign up on our mailing list by writing info@lerata.org to stay posted on all 2016 Level news and events. Information below is for Level 2013.

Level is a free, five-day, annual architecture and art event that showcases site specific, experimental, interactive installations that embrace Chicago’s rich cultural landscape. During Level 2013, architects, designers and artists will transform four unique spaces along the Chicago River into destination places for visitors and locals alike. Level is being held during EXPO CHICAGO contemporary art fair as a complementary design and new media experience. The exhibition dates are September 18-22, 2013, 6pm – 10pm nightly. See below for map of locations, musical performances and more.

The 2013 Level presentation will be a preview consisting of five installations in four locations all located along the Chicago River, as we prepare for the full ten-day exhibition of 16 installations located in the Chicago Loop in 2014. This 2013 preview is proud to feature installations created by locally residing or working Chicago designers and artists including: Daniel Miller (Site A), Julio Obelleiro + Play the Magic, Sabrina Raaf, and Daniel Sauter + Ketai.

There is also live music at the sites on Friday and Saturday by local artists Atmospheric Audio Chair and Ken Camden – details below.

Level aims to engage and educate the viewer through interventions specifically designed for individual sites. This results in an experience that draws attention to the architectural past, while providing a fresh, contemporary perspective.

Sponsorship Information is Available Here.

Are you interested in being a VOLUNTEER? Please email volunteer@lerata.org for more information. You can also visit Volunteer Match for volunteer information.

Click on map to enlarge/print.



DATES/TIMES:

Wednesday, September 18 – Sunday, September 22 – Public Exhibition Open 6pm – 10pm nightly.

Friday, September 20 – ATMOSPHERIC AUDIO CHAIR DJ Collective Set – 6pm – 10 pm – at MICHIGAN AVENUE Site 4/5.

Saturday, September 21 – KEN CAMDEN (kranky) 6pm – 10pm at STATE/DEARBORN RIVERWALK Site 3. Live Performances at 7-7:45 and 8:30-9:15

LOCATION(S): The 2013 Level event will include four unique architecture sites filled with five contemporary art and architecture installations created by local and internationally recognized artists, architects, and designers. The 2013 presentation is sited all along the Chicago riverfront. Locations start adjacent to the Bridge House Museum at Michigan Avenue Chicago Riverwalk, continue along the Chicago Riverwalk between State and Clark, and end at 2 N. Riverside Plaza. Click on the map image to enlarge/print.

ARTISTS/DESIGNERS: Daniel Miller (Site A), Julio Obelleiro + Play the Magic, Sabrina Raaf, and Daniel Sauter + Ketai.

COST: Both the Exhibition and Performances are FREE and Open to the General Public.

Level exhibition spaces for the preview and full 2014 installment will include unseen, unused, or underutilized locales in downtown Chicago. Sites selected for the next two years showcase unique riverfront spaces, rooftops, private courtyards and lobbies, empty buildings and storefronts, and other out-of-the-ordinary architectural places that are often inaccessible to the public. These rich, historic sites are easily walked by unnoticed, literally hidden from view, waiting to be exposed during Level. Uncovering these hidden spaces via a self-guided walking discovery tour of the downtown Chicago Loop, combined with site-specific contemporary architecture interventions, exemplifies the Level experience.

As a nighttime event, Level entices crowds to the Chicago Riverwalk and Loop where transformation is most needed. This event also incorporates Chicago nighttime sounds as select musicians and DJs will alternate site specific performances within the installations. These nightly sets provide another level of entertainment and further opportunity for audience engagement, helping to draw new and diverse crowds to the installation sites.

Level aims to educate the public about wonderful Chicago architectural sites previously unseen, while providing a cutting-edge contemporary architecture and art experience.

The RFP for the 2014 Level presentation will be online early 2014.

For media inquiries, please write to press@lerata.org.

2013 Level Press Release Download Here

Participants Press Release Download Here

LERATA would like to thank EXPO CHICAGO, AIA Chicago, SOM, Dance All Night, Inc!, UrbanWorks, Brinistool+Lynch, Chicago Loop Alliance, Friends of the Chicago River, Choose Chicago, and numerous industry partners and individuals that have made this free, public event possible.