15-Mar-17 – At least part of an elaborate nighttime riverfront lighting project announced more than two years ago will debut next year, according to Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

The New York architectural firm that designed new interiors at Merchandise Mart is currently studying how to project art onto the south side of the River North landmark.

It would be a canvas nearly three acres in size.

A+I Architects is working with San Francisco-based Obscura Digital, which has done this at Sydney Opera House, St. Peter’s Basilica, and Empire State Building.

The owner of Merchandise Mart, Vornado Realty Trust, says this would be the first time that art has been projected at this scale in Chicago.

Emanuel (left) says the privately-funded project “will bring new energy to the Chicago River while strengthening our city’s reputation for iconic public art.”

In 2014, the city requested proposals for a “city-wide lighting framework” similar to this project. 16 proposals were received and narrowed down to four finalists but no final decision was ever announced.