nighttime picture of Chris Burden's Urban Light illuminated at LACMA, an outdoor sculpture comprising 202 restored cast iron antique street lamps

Chris Burden, Urban Light, 2008, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Urban Light is made possible by Willow Bay and Bob lger, and is open 24 hours a day thanks to their generosity. Special thanks to the Brandon-Gordon family for their founding support of the 2008 installation, © Chris Burden/licensed by The Chris Burden Estate and Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA  

Urban Light Audio Soundtrack

October 30, 2020

Since first illuminating LACMA's Smidt Welcome Plaza in 2008, Chris Burden's sculpture Urban Light has drawn flocks of visitors to its iconic glow. The assemblage of historic street lamps perched along Wilshire Boulevard are radiant beacons that are at once L.A.-centric and universal.

The soundtrack for Chris Burden's Urban Light sculpture was organized by LACMA and Mark "Frosty" McNeill of @dublab—a non-profit radio station exploring wide-spectrum music from around the world—and joins three other collaborative soundtracks based on LACMA exhibitions.

This sonic offering is an extension of that luminous spirit—beaming with dynamic patterns and timeless energy, it invites listeners to bathe in radiance. The soundtrack features songs by Raymond Scott, The Flaming Lips, Shabazz Palaces, Joe Bataan, Helado Negro, and more. Just as Chris Burden carefully positioned his magnificent street lamps to brilliantly immerse those who gather among them, these musical selections are aimed at lighting up listeners' ears.

The Urban Light Audio Soundtrack is available on Mixcloud, Spotify, and Apple Music.