Around Town

‘Now or Never’ art installation at Waterfront Park to align with sun on summer solstice

By James Cullum
A man walks by the “Now or Never” installation by Alicia Eggert, which marks the eighth installment of the Site See public art series at Waterfront Park (staff photo by James Cullum)

Cameras will be rolling on Sunday, June 20 at Alexandria’s “Now or Never” installation at Waterfront Park in Old Town.

That’s the day of the summer solstice — the longest day of the year — and artist Alicia Eggert designed the installation at 1 Prince Street to align with the sun’s path from sunrise to sunset.

“The orientation of the installation is to create a Stonehenge effect on the morning of the sunrise of the summer solstice, where the sun will come up between the two signs and follow the path of the signs throughout the day,” Diane Ruggiero, deputy director for the Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities told ALXnow. “Sunrise will be at 5:43 in the morning, so we will be out there.”

The installation features two billboards facing each other, creating a passageway for viewers to walk between, with one side reading “NOW” and the other “NEVER.”

Ruggiero said that photographers should be interested in the visuals.

“It’s going to make for a great photo shoot, and we’re excited about that,” she said.

The “Now or Never” display will be up until it’s replaced with a holiday tree in November.

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.