Canal Convergence announces SHOWTIME-themed artwork lineup

CAPTION: “BIG TV,” by the Calgary, Canada-based Big Art, will be among the artworks at Canal Convergence, Nov. 7–16, 2025, at the Scottsdale Waterfront. Concept rendering: Big Art

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Visitors to Scottsdale Arts’ annual Canal Convergence, Nov. 7–16, will become captive audience members to a variety of interactive, light-based artworks that examine and celebrate the fusion of public art and performance. 

This year’s installations will celebrate a theme of SHOWTIME by exploring the dynamic between audience and performer in unique ways, such as Big Art’s “BIG TV.”

“We’re thrilled to be presenting ‘BIG TV’ at Canal Convergence this year, especially with the festival’s theme of SHOWTIME,” said Paul Magnuson, founder and “director of MacGyvering” at the Calgary, Canada-based Big Art. “’Big TV’ isn’t just an installation — it’s an invitation for everyone to become part of the show.”  

Big Art has exhibited in previous Canal Convergences with fan-favorite artworks like "The DOORS,” “The STARQUARIUM” and “The PORTAL.” From doors that take participants to other worlds to code-talking cubes from another dimension, Big Art fuses the technology of yesterday, today and tomorrow to bring bold artistic visions to life.

Magnuson said Big Art exists to ignite imagination and wonder through large-scale, interactive and immersive public art installations. Their passionate team believes that art is a catalyst for inspiration and a powerful force that connects people and leaves communities forever changed.

“'BIG TV’ is part art, part stage, part giant toy,” Magnuson said. “By blurring the lines between art, audience and performer, we’re creating a space where playfulness fuels creativity and where every interaction changes the story. We can’t wait to see the canal come alive with curiosity, laughter and shared moments in front of the big screen.”

In addition to “BIG TV,” the 2025 event will include internationally recognized studio Amigo and Amigo’s “Octopoda” which transforms a larger-than-life octopus sculpture into a playable instrument. With snare drums at the base of all eight legs, event attendees can create impromptu drum circles that light up the sculptures with sound-activated lighting sequences.

Other artworks scheduled to appear at Canal Convergence include:  
• “Long Wave,” by Rhode Island-based art and design studio Pneuhaus, is a 330-foot-long and more than 20-foot-tall helical inflatable light sculpture that explores motion, perspective and repetition through a simple, continuous form.
• “Showtime,” by returning artist Walter Productions, captures the essence of live entertainment, intertwining flames, light and music in a vibrant spectacle — spelled out in marquee-style letters floating across the canal — that brings the collective’s beloved fire shows back to this year’s event.
• “Stargate,” by Melbourne-based creative studio Chalk River Labs, is an innovative, immersive projection sculpture, ingeniously designed to usher viewers on an awe-inspiring journey through the cosmos with light and sound.
• “Parallel Flow,” by Los Angeles artists Dina Fisher and David Howe, is an interactive sound and light show. Festivalgoers will be able to activate the lights using an interactive sensor, and nightly musical performances similarly transform the light show.
• “HD BPM,” by Boston-based MASARY Studios, is an instrument for public play that invites participants to strike illuminated drum pads, transforming existing structures into a stage where light becomes the music.
• “Pulse” by Toronto-based MattCreative is a series of suspended rings of light, encircling the trees along the canal and pulsing in rhythmic patterns that reveal a hidden choreography of connection.

“This year’s Canal Convergence attendees will be amazed at all the unique and creative ways the public art installations embody the SHOWTIME theme,” said Jennifer Gill, deputy director for Canal Convergence. “Visitors can look forward to experiencing the dynamic between viewer and performer as they transform from one to the other, depending on which artwork they choose to engage with. We look forward to everyone joining us this year as we celebrate the power and magnificence of performance in public art.”

In the coming months, additional Canal Convergence artworks and information about performances, workshops and other aspects of the event will be announced and added to the event website at ScottsdaleArts.org/explore-scottsdale-arts/canal-convergence.

Canal Convergence is made possible with the support of many partners and sponsors, including the City of Scottsdale, Billie Jo Herberger, SRP, Nationwide, Darren Jeffrey, Scottsdale Fashion Square, Waymo, Christine and Richard Kovach, Open Sky Pro, Magnum Companies, Ziegler Fiesta Bowl Museum, Women’s Collective, Sirius Structures, Renewal by Anderson, Lifetime Home Remodeling, FirstBank, Dollar Radio Rentals and others.