A guide to most promising sights along Art Walk

Hundreds of color-changing butterflies symbolize the transformational power and creativity of butterflies across all cultures in “On the Wings of Freedom.” ( )

“Pulse Portal” is a functional 20-foot archway that welcomes viewers who pass through a gate of iridescent light on a journey into tomorrow. ( )

With 21 illuminated installations, it might be tough to take in everything that Light City’s Light Art walk has to offer. We’ve already noted two pieces you need to check out: Cai Guo-Qiang’s “Fireflies” and Tim Scofield, Kyle Miller and Steve Dalnekoff’s “The Octopus.” Here are five more that deserve to be seen:

XXS Group’s “Harbor Memory,” Stop 40 on the walk, at Pier 5 in Pierce’s Park, uses 375 planters filled with fiber optics and organic materials to show what the Inner Harbor looked like when, instead of buildings and piers, wheat and meadow grasses dominated the landscape.

Aether & Hemera’s “On the Wings of Freedom,” Stop 9 on the walk, off Light Street north of the Maryland Science Center, consists of hundreds of illuminated “butterflies,” whose colors change as people walk past.

Pitaya’s “Whale Ghost,” Stop 26 on the walk, on Pier 1 next to the Constellation, is a large-scale kinetic sculpture patterned after marine mammal and fossil skeletons seen in natural history museums. It was inspired by a visit to the National Aquarium during last year’s Light City.

Formstone Castle’s “What Lies Beneath,” Stop 37 on the walk, submerged in the water between piers 5 and 6, uses animation and low-resolution video to invoke visions of the mysteries that lie beneath the water’s surface.

Davis McCarty’s “Pulse Portal,” Stop 48 on the walk, in Harbor East harborside near the Four Seasons Hotel, is a 20-foot archway made of shimmering dichroic plexiglass, offering a portal through which Light City visitors can pass on their way to other delights the festival offers.

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