MEET ‘SWIRL’

Cowles Commons has a new splash of color, from the 8,000 changing LED lights on Swirl.
Cowles Commons has a new splash of color, from the 8,000 changing LED lights on Swirl.

The new illuminated sculpture in Cowles Commons downtown has a name: Swirl. The christening was announced yesterday by Des Moines Performing Arts, which manages Cowles Commons. Swirl is the creation of San Francisco artist Jim Campbell.

The sculpture–28 feet tall, 28 feet wide and 94 feet long–supports more than 8,000 LED lights that give it a dazzling nighttime presence. The first official lighting will take place in January.

Swirl is the latest addition in the $12 million development of Cowles Commons, the site west of the Des Moines Civic Center that was previously known as Nollen Plaza. Click here for more information.

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