A laser light show over Market Street celebrates APEC in San Francisco on November 13, 2023. After San Franciscans spotted beams from the Transamerica Pyramid, Illuminate says a new weekend laser installation is planned for the skyline.
Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle
The mysterious beams of light spotted over downtown San Francisco this week were not a movie stunt, a tech promo or the start of a supervillain plot.
They were a test for a new civic-scale laser installation by Illuminate, the San Francisco arts nonprofit behind “The Bay Lights.”
The group said it plans to beam a dozen “Laser Space Cannons” from the 47th floor of the Transamerica Pyramid this weekend, aiming them toward Coit Tower and the top of One Sansome in the Financial District.
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Illuminate had originally considered including Salesforce Tower in the display, founder Ben Davis said, but dropped that part of the plan after reviewing the location.
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“Illuminate is a safety-first organization, and we had concerns about the flight path directly behind the building,” Davis said in a statement.
Lasers create a rainbow over Market St. to mark the start of SF Pride weekend on June 28, 2024, in San Francisco. After San Franciscans spotted beams from the Transamerica Pyramid, Illuminate says a new weekend laser installation is planned for the skyline.
Noah Berger/Special to the Chronicle
The project drew attention Thursday, May 14, after Reddit users posted photos and videos of beams shooting from the Transamerica Pyramid. The thread quickly turned into a running joke about secret clues, “War of the towers,” and “buildings with frickin lasers on their heads.”
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The real explanation is less sinister, though still very San Francisco: a privately funded public art experiment designed to make the skyline feel a little more cinematic.
It also lands on a weekend already crowded with signature San Francisco spectacles. The World Naked Bike Ride is scheduled for Saturday, May 16, and Bay to Breakers — the city’s annual 12K collision of runners, costumes and spectators — returns Sunday, May 17.
Illuminate said the lasers were created by Nu-Salt Laser of Folsom, a longtime creative partner.
The same devices have been used in previous installations along Market Street during APEC and Pride weekends, from the top of Coit Tower, through Sutro Tower and from the Fairmont Hotel toward Grace Cathedral.
The Transamerica Pyramid is lighted by a laser show in San Francisco, on Sept. 12, 2024. After San Franciscans spotted beams from the Transamerica Pyramid, Illuminate says a new weekend laser installation is planned for the skyline.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle
Davis described the weekend project as part of Illuminate’s broader effort to turn San Francisco into what the nonprofit calls the “City of Awe,” a civic branding campaign built around large-scale public art, free concerts and illuminated landmarks.
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The nonprofit’s best-known project is “The Bay Lights,” the LED installation on the Bay Bridge that returned this spring after three years of darkness.
Illuminate also helps produce free live music at the Golden Gate Bandshell and has been involved in installations at the Conservatory of Flowers, Grace Cathedral and other prominent city sites.
Outdoor laser displays are subject to federal safety rules. The Food and Drug Administration regulates laser light shows, and the Federal Aviation Administration asks operators to coordinate outdoor laser activity that could affect aircraft.
Davis said the project, like Illuminate’s other work, is funded through philanthropy and will be free for the public to see.
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The group is hoping the city’s weather cooperates — or, more precisely, that it does not cooperate too much.
“We’re excited about this weekend’s installation,” Davis said, “and secretly hoping for a little of our famous fog to add even more atmosphere and dynamism to the light.”