To some, Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit is considered a “Stargate;”a place on Earth that serves as a portal to other worlds where our energy pulses and is received by other solar systems. The various installations and sculptures arrayed throughout Hart Plaza have much in common with ancient Egypt, including the Pyramids, Obelisk, Sphinx, Tower of Babel and Pylons which comprise Egyptian mythology. Visitors to Hart Plaza during Movement Electronic Music Festival will find themselves surrounded by symbols of ancient mythos, including, but not limited to, the Hart Plaza Amphitheater, a concrete step pyramid, a towering pylon, various “gateway to freedom” sculptures and the massive “Transcending” steel ring.
“Transcending” was a gift to the city of Detroit on its 300th birthday and is the star of Hart Plaza, a widely recognizable landmark for locals and visitors alike, especially those who attend Movement each year. Attendees of Movement in 2015 gravitated to this attraction, which served as the backdrop for the Made in Detroit/Thump Stage this May 23th – 25th.
On Sunday, May 24th, fans were transported to a different dimension as the Ghostly International roster of performers demonstrated their musical prowess before a rabid crowd of intrepid intergalactic travelers. Ghostly proudly represents Michigan artists, so this particular day was stacked with the Crème de la Crème of talent with Matrixxman and Fort Romeau first appearing early in the afternoon before excited fans. Shifting from the prior location in year’s past on the main Movement stage, Detroit’s Shigeto next performed a superb live one hour set, likely dedicated to founder Zach Saginaw’s grandfather “The Chief,” who passed away just hours before the set.
As the sun began to set, the back-to-back sets of Derek Plaslaiko and Mike Servito created tension and release in the shadow of the enormous ring, luring crowds toward their pulsing beats from throughout the plaza. Servito was unstoppable during the weekend, playing set after set throughout the city at various clubs, galleries, loft spaces and even a beloved veterans’ bar. His hard-hitting, relentless style was well-received by the giddy crowd and fully appropriate beneath a towering spoke that is intended to resemble a gear coming out of the earth.
There are various quotes inscribed in the plaques beneath “Transcending” which represent the “voices of labor” throughout our nation’s history. Cesar Chavez famously said “the people united will never be defeated,” a statement that could come to represent the community that has formed around the music featured in Hart Plaza each year during Memorial Day Weekend.
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