This past weekend, the steps of the Detroit Institute of Arts were transformed into an ethereal light environment communicating messages collected from Detroit residents entitled “Memory Cloud: Detroit.” The October weather provided enough of its own clouds that the piece almost did not happen. However, the artists pushed through and a crowd of happy onlookers were there to marvel and participate in the awe-inspiring work. Part of Detroit Gallery Week, the installation was presented by Minimaforms, a experimental architecture and design practice founded by brothers Stephen and Theodore Spyropoulos and based in both New York and London. “Memory Cloud” was additionally sponsored by the Detroit Institute of Arts, funded by the Dr. and Mrs George Kamperman Fund and Friends of Modern and Contemporary Art, in cooperation with Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (a Knight Arts grantee) and Kunsthalle Detroit. Minimaforms believes that communication “is the enabling agency at the heart of all forms of interaction, with intelligence being a product of this exchange.” For two weeks prior to the event and during the actual performance, the duo collected answers to the question “what is, what was and what will be Detroit?” via text message and the website voicesofdetroit.com. The resulting words were then projected through billowing clouds toward Woodward Avenue and expected to engage and activate a dialogue about the city. The powerful projectors even illuminated parts of the lawn and facade of the Detroit Public Library. As previously stated, the temperamental weather caused some of the cloud to dissipate with the wind, and, as parts of words disappeared, the work seemed to emphasize the ephemeral and fleeting nature of our thoughts and memory. This glitch did not seem to effect the outcome in a negative way. The texts that were legible purveyed an over all sense of positivity about Detroit. Audience members had to focus acutely to differentiate the meaning that may have been more abstract. However, words such as “inspiring,” ”proud,” “love” and “Detroit” were clear. Texts that were submitted will be archived on the website http://www.voiceofdetroit.com/. A few that are currently highlighted are “Detroit is my home” and “They told me this city is dead, it brought me to life.”

Perhaps it is too cheesy to imply the weather is partly what made “Memory Cloud: Detroit” our own (it happened previously in London in 2008). They say nothing worth having is easy, and, sometimes, I feel the adversity that Detroiter’s face is not only what makes us, it is what makes us stronger. Minimaforms set out to give Detroiter’s a platform for their voice, and the outcome was clear when audience members would erupt with joy as they saw their thoughts scroll by. I look forward to drawing a more clear conclusion about how participants reacted when the artists post the texts to the website.

Detroit Gallery Week Consists of more than 80 art-focused events ranging from tours, openings, performances and panels. It runs from Sept. 30 to Oct. 8. A full listing of events can be found at http://www.artdetroitnow.com/galleryweek.html.