Last week Boston played host to its first nuit blanche event, aptly called Illuminus. Produced and directed by Materials & Methods in partnership with Nuit Blanche New York, the dynamic light show attracted almost 10,000 spectators to the South End, where it was held in the SOWA area.

The above video is just a snippet of the kind of art people were privy to. In it, Joe Sands, founder of Poets in Unexpected Places, meandered his way through Illuminus with writers and dramatists José Olivarez, and Simone Beaubien. They set up shop along the street in various places throughout SOWA, projected some poetry on several facades in archetypal nuit blanche fashion, and recited their verses for all to enjoy.

The projects came courtesy of Jamie Leo and Chris Jordan and the roving video was captured by a 300lb RC controlled robot by Glen Duncan. They called this endeavor, Incidental Words.

While Incidental Words was just a single facet of the multidimensional show, it’s also an exemplification of the kind of inventive art Boston has experienced as of late. This confluence of next-generation technologies with the transformation of a Boston neighborhood into an urban canvas is exactly the kind of public art and civc innovation that sets The Hub apart from many other municipalities across the country.

“[Saturday] night I saw the kind of city I want to live and die in,” said Grantz.

Added Joyce Linehan, Mayor Marty Walsh’s policy chief, “Congratulations to all who were involved in Illuminus. You should all be very proud. I had the opportunity to be there on Saturday. What a great atmosphere! It was an inspiring civic event, and we need more of these. Here’s to many more like it!”

Take a few minutes to enjoy the video above and get a taste of Illuminus. I’m sure, once you do, we’ll be seeing you there next year.

Featured Image via Tina Tian Photography