Shutter Mike Photography

Paolo Soleri is best known for inventing the concept of Arcology, ecological human habitats, and for his Soleri bells.  But he was not know for his bridge design.  Until Scottsdale Public Art commissioned Soleri’s first bridge to be be built spanning the Arizona Canal at Scottsdale and Camelback Roads.  The pedestrian bridge is made up primarily of stainless steel and concrete and prominently features one of Soleri’s cast bronze bells.  But the bridge is more than a bridge.  It is a significant piece of public art, it is a sundial that is designed to bring awareness of our human connection to the sun and the natural world, and the plaza at its base serves as a destination and gathering place.

I photographed the Soleri Bridge and Plaza in Scottsdale when it first opened in December 2010.  But I wanted to go back and capture it at night to see how this bridge designed to connect to the sun worked with artificial night lighting.  So I headed out to Scottsdale with my camera and tripod to capture the only bridge Paolo Soleri has designed all lit up at night.