Immersive light show makes North American debut in Eureka

Lasers, fog, music and an orb representing the sun alter the landscape in the “Into The Sunset” display at Light Cycles at Brookdale Farms in Eureka on Dec. 13.

Robert Cohen

A new outdoor light and digital art installation opened internationally last week in Kyoto, Japan; Milan; and Birmingham, England and made its North American debut at a farm in Eureka, Missouri.

One of these things is not like the other, you may think. Brookdale Farms secured the Light Cycles art show after a producer who had grown up in the area was visiting her family and stopped by the farm.

Above: A sacred space is depicted in “The Hearth”, as lasers rise and fall with music under a moonlit sky at Light Cycles at Brookdale Farms in Eureka on Dec. 13. Left: A lighted path guides visitors through Light Cycles, a nature experience combining light, music and sounds through the trees at Brookdale Farms in Eureka on Dec. 13.

Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch

She had a vision of how the site could work for the immersive night walk show — a combination of digital art, laser lights and instrumental sound. The installation and experience is produced by entertainment studio Moment Factory, based in Montreal, in collaboration with Fever, a live entertainment site based in New York. A creative team from Montreal came in July to visit the farm.

“They were dressed in all black, and it was 100 degrees outside,” says James Vavak, general manager at Brookdale Farms, an event space with its own seasonal attractions. He was worried about whether they were staying hydrated by scouting the location.

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Gabriel Pontbriand, creative director for the show, was impressed by the mature trees and bucolic setting. The distance from the city was a plus because it limited light pollution from interfering with the show’s own lighting. They needed a path at least three-quarters to a mile long so there is enough distance between each of the five digital art pieces. The farm met all these requirements.

“The show is about the connection between humans and nature,” Pontbriand says. The Moment Factory has been creating these outdoor immersive experiences for about a decade now.

The scout team was all French Canadian, so Vavak said he could only pick up a few words while they discussed the site during their tour.

One of those words was “perfect.”

The moon shines over poles resembling bamboo in the “Invisible” experience, changing with light, color and sound at the Light Cycles display at Brookdale Farms in Eureka on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024.

Robert Cohen photos, Post-Dispatch

“The way they welcomed us at Brookdale Farms, the maturity of the site, the nature was there,” Pontbriand says.

In September, Vavak signed an agreement to host the show.

Moment Factory sent about 25 people and brought on an additional 20 locally to help install and set up the show for a month. But the exhibition nearly got canceled days before it was scheduled to open. Heavy rains in November flooded the farm, submerging the equipment that crews had spent a month installing. Some of the pieces got washed away into the Meramec river.

“In the first 24 hours we were just trying to save as much as we could,” says producer Mattieu Grainger. They had their team out in waist waders in chest-high water trying to salvage equipment. Others had to go out in canoes where the water was even higher. A lot of the wiring and electrical work had to be completely redone.

The organizers had to decide if they were going to attempt to open this year. They decided to forge ahead.

They postponed the opening for four weeks. The crew stayed on for another month.

The exhibit opened last week.

A lighted path guides visitors through Light Cycles, a nature experience combining light, music and sounds through the trees at Brookdale Farms in Eureka on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024.

Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch

On the night we visited, the temperature was 28 degrees with a “feels like” temperature of 18 degrees. Despite bundling up, it was difficult to “immerse yourself in the energy of the environment” as the signage suggested because of the below-freezing temperatures.

Visitors walk for nearly a mile on a gravel path to see the five different exhibits and listen to the sound accompanying the light show, which does include some strobe lighting. The five installations represent different scenarios with nature: The Crystal Grove aims to explore the subtle ways trees communicate. Forest Frequencies combines colors and soundwaves, echoing the rhythms of the earth. Invisible features patterns projected on massive pvc-type bamboo shoots. Into the Sunset creates a digital display of the rays and backdrop of a sunset. The Hearth features a digital bonfire surrounded by the percussion sounds representing the earth’s beating heart.

The walk is designed to be a more meditative and reflective journey for visitors.

While Moment Factory has created several other night walk shows in other cities, this month features two shows opening in colder winter climates – Astra Lumina in Philadelphia and Light Cycles in Eureka. Each stop along the walk encourages visitors to stop for several minutes to take in the accompanying sounds, but this timing really depends on one’s tolerance for the outdoor elements.

There is an ADA accessible port-a-potty available near the entrance to the event, but there are no restrooms available on the path. The outdoor welcome area offers hot chocolate, coffee, tea, mixed cocktails, light snacks and s’mores kits for purchase.

If you go

What: Light Cycles

Where: Brookdale Farms, 7997 Jim Weber Road, Eureka

When: 5:30–9 p.m. through March 15. Open every day through Dec. 31, then Thursday through Sunday beginning Jan. 2.

How Much: Ranges from $28 to $35, plus $7 for parking, plus a booking fee per ticket (total per ticket price in December ends up around $44)

How long: 45 minutes

Accessibility: Not recommended and likely not accessible for those who require mobility equipment or special assistance. Not accessible for strollers. An ADA accessible session will be available 15 minutes before the first public session. A cart is able to hold four guests plus one wheelchair. This needs to be requested through support when booking tickets.

More info: lightcycles-experience.com/st-louis/

More Night Walk shows

Here are the other Night Walk shows by Moment Factory in the U.S., along with their opening year:

Astra Lumina in Gatlinburg, Tennessee – 2022 – Permanent

Astra Lumina in Los Angeles – 2022 -3rd season

Astra Lumina in New York City – 2023 -1st season

Astra Lumina in Seattle – 2023, 2nd season

Aquavia Lumina in the Wisconsin Dells – 2024 – Permanent

Astra Lumina in Dallas – 2024 – 1st season

Astra Lumina in Philadelphia, -1st season

Light Cycles in Eureka – 1st season

The Lumina Enchanted night walks have been showcased worldwide, with 24 experiences across Europe, Asia and North America. Light Cycles has been presented for two seasons in Australia, as well as in New Zealand, Japan, Italy and the UK.

The moon shines over poles resembling bamboo in the “Invisible” experience, changing with light, color and sound at the Light Cycles display at Brookdale Farms in Eureka on Dec. 13.

Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch

Lasers, fog, music and an orb representing the sun alter the landscape in the “Into The Sunset” display at Light Cycles at Brookdale Farms in Eureka on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. The McCarty and Cammon families, of Kirkwood and Warson Woods, move through the experience.

Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch

Steven Kindt of High Ridge and Sara Ule of St. Louis make s’mores at the welcome spot for Light Cycles, a nature experience combining light, music and sounds through the trees at Brookdale Farms in Eureka on Dec. 13.

Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch