Crafty space manipulator Luftwerk will showcase FLOW/Im Fluss, a nightly light and water installation at Chicago's Couch Place alley on September 17-20 from 5 p.m. to midnight. Luftwerk, the Chicago-based collaborative established by Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero, is best known for their signature medium of site-specific light and projected video installations.

Presented by the Chicago Loop Alliance, the Goethe-Institute Chicago, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, Luftwerk's FLOW/Im Fluss celebrates the 20th Anniversary of Sister Cities Chicago and Hamburg. As a nod to each city's river locations, the installation visualizes the characteristics of the Chicago River and Hamburg's River Elbe through video compositions that will be projected on "screens" made of water.

Having lived in both cities, Luftwerk is based on the encompassing, connective nature of water in FLOW as people gather to get a closer look at the flow of data readings collected from both rivers. Adding sound to the mix, live performances of Hamburg-based experimental musician Birgit Ulher's Traces will feature trumpet, radio, speaker, object, and tape feeds.

FLOW/Im Fluss is part of the Chicago Loop Alliance's Loop Placemaking Initiative, a series of innovative public space activations downtown that challenge perceptions of urban environments and encourage future investment.  The installation will also be set up during EXPO ART WEEK (Sept. 15-21) and EXPO CHICAGO (Sept. 18-21) as one of the main attractions.

Related: INsite by Luftwerk turns Mies' Farnsworth House inside-out with light and sound

Also check out a few videos of Luftwerk's previous installations below.