Pardall Light Tunnel

Lights serve a purpose when times are dark. They provide gateway that makes everyone feel safe and has a positive connotation since society views them as a good thing. They allow us to see everything around us and bring comfort. This piece of artwork is installed in Pardall Tunnel where it links UCSB’s campus and Isla Vista together. The lights in the tunnel is a site to honor those who lost their lives in a horrid massacre on May 23rd, 2014. The lights have a significant meaning behind them because they bring the community together and creates something powerful, hopeful, and beautiful. They are symbolic for solidarity dedicated to the six victims because their loss had a huge impact on the lives of others and serves as a way for parents, friends, faculty, and students to remember them.

The creator of this installation is Marcos Novak, who wanted these lights to resemble a “field of poppies during the day and stars in the sky at night”to make a social change within the community to keep UCSB and Isla Vista civilized. The lights are meant for the community to highlight the things that they want to encourage and forget about the things that are negative. The lights are suppose to make “the presence of people in the tunnel important and illuminated” meaning that the lights should make people be able to feel like they serve a purpose in this world, are important just like everyone else, and are noticed when passing through the tunnel.This piece of art work plays a role in hoping that the community will continue to build a place where everyone feels loved and welcome. The installation of these lights was a social campaign that stressed the importance of making everyone in the community feel like they are in a support system where everyone can help each other move forward. The inventors behind this installation hope that this event catches on in order to mark a yearly celebration in which everyone gathers around the site and takes a moment to pray in silence.

The installation of the lights in the tunnel also led to the inspiration of the Blunite project.  Blunite used blue LED lights to focus on how to show that the community is unified. The creators of this project hope that it provides an opportunity for people to show their support Isla Vista even if they are no longer living in the area. The creators want every resident in Isla Vista to get involved because its a unique way to get people to come together in social gatherings in hopes that people who are showing support to the cause will only inspire others to join and make a difference in the community.

These lights allow people to pay their respect and show that everyone is in this together, to lend a helping hand to those who need a shoulder to cry on, and to show that everyone cares about one another. Everyone in Isla Vista and students who attend UCSB/SBCC are one big family that wants to strongly motivate everyone in the community to participate in
events that will bring forth a positive change in Isla Vista and UCSB. It shows that everyone stands as one and will always remain to show each other’s unconditional love and support towards one another.

 

 

Castaneda, Hector Sanchez. “In Remembrance.” The Bottom Line. N.p., 27 May 2015. Web. 24 Aug. 2016.

De Los Santos, Senerey. “Pardall Tunnel Shining Light On The Year Anniversary Of Isla Vista Tragedy.” KEYT. N.p., 23 May 2015. Web. 24 Aug. 2016.

Leachman, Shelly. “‘We Are All UCSB’: Remembrance Events Planned for One-Year Anniversary of Isla Vista Tragedy.” Noozhawk.com Your News and Information Source. N.p., 4 May 2015. Web. 24 Aug. 2016.

Yelimeli, Supriya. “Art Installation To Light Campus.” The Daily Nexus. N.p., 13 May 2015. Web. 24 Aug. 2016.