code:art 2025

The City of Palo Alto Public Art Program will launch its fourth interactive media event, Code:ART, a three-evening festival which re-imagines Palo Alto’s plazas, alleys, and public spaces through interactive light, sound, and motion. The artworks should invite play and participation, engaging visitors in an event that outwardly reflects the creative community and culture that thrives here. All installations should have a nighttime presence and interactive component.

The festival, held on October 16, 17, and 18, 2025, 5-10 pm, will feature a large-scale immersive projection artwork on the front facade of City Hall, a major interactive media artwork at Lytton Plaza, and four additional interactive installations, so-called Urban Interventions, that will activate or reimagine downtown storefronts, alleys, parking lots or blank walls in new and inventive ways. Public Art Program staff will offer free public tours each evening of all project sites. Additionally, the City of Palo Alto in partnership with various community partners may host collateral events, including panel discussions, exhibits and performances.

EVENT DATES: October 16-18, 2025, 5 – 10 PM

LYTTON PLAZA INSTALLATION

The Artwork will be displayed at a key downtown site, Lytton Plaza,

demonstrate exceptional quality and innovative uses of technology, and offer meaningful public engagement and social exchange. With a minimum display period of three days, the Public Art Program staff may consider extending the exhibition of the artwork for a prolonged period of time after the conclusion of Code:ART to continue to draw visitors downtown. The Artwork may manifest as but is not limited to an outdoor immersive multimedia experience, audio-visual performance, interactive sculptural or architectural-scale installation, and feature interactive augmented reality, robotics, and digitally generated objects, etc. The project artist / artist team will be selected by a panel of arts professionals, community representatives, and Public Art Program staff to ensure artistic excellence. The selected artist is expected to attend the

festival, take part in public events, and interact with members of the public, press and festival partners at their installation site.

URBAN INTERVENTIONS

Four Urban Interventions will be selected to receive up to $8,000 stipends and technical assistance for installation in various locations downtown Palo Alto for the duration of 72 hours. These interactive projects placed in the downtown corridor re-imagine Palo Alto’s plazas, alleys, and public spaces through interactive light, sound, and motion. They may be but are not limited to immersive experiences with augmented and virtual reality, game-based installations, dynamic projections and video-mapping, or physical interactive installations. The Urban Interventions will tap into innovative technologies, activate public spaces downtown (i.e., streetscapes, storefronts, alleyway, parking lots, and blank walls) in new and creative ways, and encourage community engagement. Selected Urban Interventions will have a strong evening presence, spark curiosity, and invite interaction and play. The projects will be selected by a panel of arts professionals, community stakeholders, and Public Art Program staff to ensure artistic excellence. The selected artists / artist teams are expected to participate in the festival, take part in public events, and interact with the members of public, press and festival partners. Selected applicants must be able to commit to having a representative on site for the Urban Intervention each of the festival days from 5 – 10 pm to interact with the public. Depending on the nature of the interventions, participants may be asked to take down and set up the installation each day