posted photos and videos<\/a> of beams shooting from the Transamerica Pyramid. The thread quickly turned into a running joke about secret clues, \u201cWar of the towers,\u201d and \u201cbuildings with frickin lasers on their heads.\u201d<\/p>\nArticle continues below this ad<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\u00a0\u2014 the city\u2019s annual 12K collision of runners, costumes and spectators\u00a0\u2014 returns Sunday, May 17.<\/p>\n
Illuminate said the lasers were created by Nu-Salt Laser of Folsom, a longtime creative partner.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
![\"The]()
<\/p>\n
The Transamerica Pyramid is lighted by a laser show\u00a0in 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.<\/p>\n
Carlos Avila Gonzalez\/The Chronicle<\/p>\n
Davis described the weekend project as part of Illuminate\u2019s broader effort to turn San Francisco into what the nonprofit calls the \u201cCity of Awe,\u201d a civic branding campaign built around large-scale public art, free concerts and illuminated landmarks.<\/p>\n
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The nonprofit\u2019s best-known project is \u201cThe Bay Lights,\u201d the LED installation on the Bay Bridge that returned this spring after three years of darkness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Davis said the project, like Illuminate\u2019s other work, is funded through philanthropy and will be free for the public to see.<\/p>\n
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The group is hoping the city\u2019s weather cooperates\u00a0\u2014 or, more precisely, that it does not cooperate too much.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re excited about this weekend\u2019s installation,\u201d Davis said, \u201cand secretly hoping for a little of our famous fog to add even more atmosphere and dynamism to the light.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A laser light show over Market Street celebrates APEC in San Francisco on November 13, 2023. After San…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":317944,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[329,65739,184,7,143,145,144,101],"class_list":["post-317943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-arts-and-entertainment","tag-arts-and-exhibits","tag-bay-area","tag-california","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news","tag-san-francisco"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=317943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/317944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=317943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=317943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=317943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}